Trump says Cuomo ‘should stay’ in New York City mayor race against Mamdani

US Republican president slams Zohran Mamdani arsenic a ‘communist’, says Andrew Cuomo has a ‘good changeable of winning’.

Washington, DC – United States President Donald Trump has backed erstwhile Governor Andrew Cuomo’s determination to tally arsenic an autarkic successful the New York City mayoral race, renewing his onslaught against Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani.

Asked astir Cuomo’s determination to enactment successful the contention aft losing the Democratic superior to Mamdani, Trump said connected Tuesday that the erstwhile politician tin inactive triumph successful the wide predetermination successful November.

“I deliberation helium should stay. I deliberation helium has a shot,” Trump told reporters.

The erstwhile governor, 67, announced connected Monday his volition to tally arsenic an autarkic aft handily losing the Democratic contention to Mamdani past month.

But Cuomo has a upland to ascent successful the overwhelmingly Democratic city, particularly fixed that helium volition beryllium competing for the anti-Mamdani ballot with incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is besides moving arsenic an independent, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.

In an aboriginal motion of the challenges helium is facing, Cuomo’s announcement connected X received a flood of antagonistic responses, with galore citing his intersexual harassment scandals.

Cuomo resigned arsenic New York politician successful 2021 aft facing mounting sexual harassment allegations, which helium has denied.

On Tuesday, Trump, a autochthonal New Yorker who moved to Florida aft his archetypal word arsenic president successful 2021, stopped abbreviated of afloat endorsing Cuomo.

Asked whether helium prefers Cuomo to win, Trump said: “I don’t privation to say. I’m a Republican; he’s a politician oregon an independent.”

“I deliberation Andrew would person a bully changeable of winning. He’s got to tally a pugnacious campaign. You know, he’s moving against a communist,” helium added, referring to Mamdani.

The US president has been progressively captious of Mamdani, 33, a left-wing authorities legislator who has made affordability the cardinal constituent of his campaign.

Accusing Democrats of being communists oregon communist sympathisers is simply a frequent, misleading onslaught enactment by immoderate Republicans. Analysts person told Al Jazeera that Mamdani’s level does not incorporate the cardinal tenets of communism, specified arsenic authorities takeover of manufacture and backstage property.

Last week, Trump suggested that helium could usage the “tremendous power” of the White House to instrumentality implicit New York City if Mamdani wins.

“As President of the United States, I’m not going to fto this Communist Lunatic destruct New York,” Trump wrote successful a societal media station earlier this month.

“Rest assured, I clasp each the levers, and person each the cards. I’ll prevention New York City, and marque it ‘Hot’ and ‘Great’ again, conscionable similar I did with the Good Ol’ USA!”

Many of the president’s adjacent allies, including respective members of Congress, person deployed overtly Islamophobic language to onslaught Mamadani, who is of South Asian descent.

Last month, the White House said that baseless allegations that Mamdani has supported “terrorism” successful the past “should beryllium investigated”, with the intent of revoking his US citizenship.

Some adjacent Trump allies, including billionaire Bill Ackman, backed Cuomo during the primaries.

The contention to pb the largest US metropolis has been capturing nationalist and planetary headlines, successful portion owed to the attacks connected Mamdani implicit his enactment for Palestinian rights.

On Tuesday, Mamdani’s run sarcastically congratulated Cuomo connected winning Trump’s backing.

“Obviously, this triumph speaks for itself. The question present is whether Cuomo volition clasp Trump’s enactment publically oregon proceed to conscionable judge it successful private,” the run said successful a statement.