Trump Tells New Yorkers They 'Must Vote' For Cuomo While Attacking Mamdani

The president's endorsement comes after months of scrutiny of his relationship with Cuomo.

After months of reports about the ties between the two politicians, President Donald Trump posted an emphatic endorsement of former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for New York City mayor, and again threatened to limit federal funds if State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani won.

“We must also remember this — A vote for Curtis Sliwa (who looks much better without the beret!) is a vote for Mamdani,” Trump wrote in a Monday Truth Social post urging voters to bypass Sliwa, the Republican nominee. “Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!”

Trump’s endorsement comes after a New York Times report suggested that he and Cuomo had a cozier relationship and had held a call about the election, something both leaders denied. Previously, Cuomo had also openly mused about how Trump could help sway Republican voters in his favor.

“Trump himself, as well as top Republicans, will say the goal is to stop Mamdani. And you’ll be wasting your vote on Sliwa. So I feel good about that,” Cuomo said at an August fundraiser, according to a Politico report.

Trump’s backing also follows frequent attacks he’s made against Mamdani, including xenophobic statements about his identity and repeated broadsides against his ideology as a Democratic socialist.