A hardline GOP leader like Donald Trump would naturally find it difficult to back a mayoral candidate in a blue stronghold like New York. And when the choice is between two Democrats with sharply different positions on the political spectrum, the decision becomes even more complicated.However, the MAGA chief has thrown his support behind Andrew Cuomo in the New York City mayoral race, calling the former governor the “better choice” over Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, who currently leads in the polls.Speaking in a CBS 60 Minutes interview aired on Sunday, the US President made it clear that he wanted Cuomo to win not because he admires him, but because of his dislike for a ‘communist’ Mamdani.“I’m not a fan of Cuomo one way or the other, but if it’s gonna be between a bad Democrat and a Communist, I’m gonna pick the bad Democrat all the time, to be honest with you,” Trump said.Trump went further to warn that New York City’s federal funding could be at risk if Mamdani were to win the election. “Because if you have a communist running New York, all you’re doing is wasting the money you’re sending there,” he said. The president added that “it’s gonna be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York.”Mamdani reacted to Trump’s remarks by reposting news of his endorsement of Cuomo on his Instagram account, captioning it, “Congratulations, Andrew Cuomo. I know how hard you worked for this.” Mamdani has campaigned on policies such as free bus service, universal child care, and a rent freeze for stabilised apartments. Cuomo is running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani in June. He has not yet stated Trump’s remarks. However, during a recent debate, he claimed that Trump actually wants Mamdani to win so that he could “take over” the city. Trump dismissed that accusation, saying, “Oh, that’s so crazy.”Trump also hinted that he may consider deploying federal troops to New York City to tackle crime, similar to previous moves in Democrat-led cities. “We’re not going to ruin one of our great cities because we’ll make that great. We will clean up the crime in about 30 days,” he said.Federal funding remains a key issue in the race, as Trump’s administration has already paused billions for infrastructure projects.In terms of a Republican candidate, Curtis Sliwa will find it difficult in the NYC polls as the city’s voter base remains overwhelmingly Democratic, leaving little room for GOP contenders to gain traction. Sliwa faces an uphill battle in a race dominated by progressives and faces less backing, unlike his Democratic rivals.
