Trump Reluctantly Endorses Andrew Cuomo in Last-Ditch Bid to Stop Mamdani

President Donald Trump on Monday threw his support behind independent New York mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo, part of a last-ditch attempt to stop the Democratic nominee and self-professed democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani from winning on Tuesday.

“Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice,” Trump posted on Truth Social Monday evening. “You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!”

Trump, a native New Yorker, called Mamdani a communist and repeated on Monday his previous threats to withhold federal funding from New York City should Mamdani win. NOTUS reported in October that the state receives more than $7 billion in federal funds across at least 20 different agencies and departments.

“It is my obligation to run the Nation, and it is my strong conviction that New York City will be a Complete and Total Economic and Social Disaster should Mamdani win,” Trump’s post continued. “I would much rather see a Democrat, who has had a Record of Success, WIN, than a Communist with no experience and a Record of COMPLETE AND TOTAL FAILURE.”

Mamdani, 34, ran on a campaign of affordability and would be the city’s first Muslim mayor. His religion became a focal point during the campaign as he condemned “racist” and “baseless” attacks centered on his Muslim faith from opponents and Republican leaders.

Cuomo came under scrutiny last week for laughing along as conservative radio host Sid Rosenberg said Mamdani would celebrate another 9/11-style terror attack on New York City.

Vice President JD Vance criticized Mamdani last week for saying that his family felt unsafe after the Sept. 11 terror attacks due to rampant Islamophobia.

Several Republicans in Congress have also pushed for investigations into Mamdani’s citizenship application, in hopes of having him denaturalized and deported.

Cuomo said last month he would not accept an endorsement from Trump if offered one. His campaign did not respond to NOTUS’ request for comment.

“No, the tent isn’t that big, Kristen. That’s the limitation,” Cuomo told NBC News at the time. “I have not had a conversation, nor would I accept an endorsement from President Trump.”