New York City’s Democratic mayoral nominee, Zohran Mamdani, slammed the possibility of Donald Trump getting involved in the election after a Wednesday report from The New York Times suggested the president was weighing the idea — and had held a call with former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
“This should be a race about ... who will make this city affordable, who will ensure that each and every New Yorker is safe, who will bring our city forward, not an audition for the best jester for Donald Trump and his billionaire supporters,” Mamdani told reporters on Wednesday.
The Times report noted that Trump was debating whether he should intervene in the mayoral contest to block Mamdani’s ascent, and said he had spoken about the race with Cuomo, though it did not provide specifics about what was discussed or state that the two were working together.
In response to the report, Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi told CBS News, “The Governor and the President have not spoken in some time,” adding, “As far as I know, they have not discussed the race.” Trump also said he hadn’t spoken with Cuomo after reporters questioned him following the article’s publication.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Times report added that Trump had spoken with a pollster and a former New York City Council president who relayed that Cuomo could be a competitive independent candidate against Mamdani. It did not specify if the president would intercede or what form that would take since an endorsement likely wouldn’t help a candidate in the heavily Democratic city.
Those who want Trump to play a role hope that he would pressure one of the remaining candidates to drop out, so they could consolidate the moderate, anti-Mamdani vote, The New York Times reports.
Trump and other Republicans have previously lobbed xenophobic attacks on Mamdani, falsely accusing him of being in the U.S. illegally and describing him as a “communist.”
Trump has also said that he thinks Cuomo has a “good shot” in the race. Cuomo’s spokesperson gave CBS arguments for why Trump might prefer Mamdani or current Mayor Eric Adams.
Mamdani said Wednesday: “Whatever Donald Trump seeks to do to influence the outcome of this election, I have more faith in New Yorkers themselves.”