Trump backs Cuomo, threatens to cut funds as New Yorkers expected to pick leftist Mamdani as mayor

WASHINGTON - Republican US President Donald Trump said on Nov 3 he will restrict federal funds for New York City if Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the

city’s mayoral elections on Nov 4

and urged supporters to vote for former governor Andrew Cuomo.

“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!” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Mr Mamdani, who describes himself as a democratic socialist and campaigned on reducing costs for ordinary New Yorkers, was leading by seven points on 41 per cent in the latest AtlasIntel poll.

The 34-year-old was trailed by Mr Cuomo, a former Democrat but now an independent candidate, on 34 per cent.

Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, 71, founder of the Guardian Angels citizen crime patrol group, was on 24 per cent – a margin that could sway the vote if enough of his backers shifted to Mr Cuomo.

Polls were due to open at 6am (7pm, Singapore time) and close at 9pm. Early voting, which wrapped up on Nov 2, saw more than 735,000 people cast ballots – a number which election officials said was the highest ever.

Mr Trump said a vote for Mr Sliwa would only help Mr Mamdani and urged his supporters to back Mr Cuomo, 67.

“If Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the Election for Mayor of New York City, it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home,” said Mr Trump, a native New Yorker.

Mr Mamdani fired back during a canvassing event in Queens on Nov 3, saying: “The Maga movement’s embrace of Andrew Cuomo is reflective of Donald Trump’s understanding that this would be the best mayor for him.”

He added: “They (Trump and Cuomo) share the same donors, they share the same small vision, they share the same sense of impunity.”

Syracuse University political science professor Grant Reeher said a win for Mr Mamdani would set up a “showdown” with Mr Trump.

“Trump will treat New York City more aggressively,” he said. “There will be some kind of political showdown.”

Mr Mamdani, a state assembly member who was born in Uganda, shocked political observers on June 24 with a convincing victory in the primary.

His policies include hiking taxes on New York City’s wealthiest, raising the corporation tax rate, freezing stabilised apartment rental rates and increasing publicly subsidised housing.

In a final push for votes, Mr Mamdani toured nightclubs over the Halloween weekend, making a pit stop at one event called “Papi Juice” without ditching his trademark dark suit.

If elected, he would be the city’s first Muslim mayor, and far-right Republicans have scorned a video he issued in Arabic to supporters in the famously diverse city. He would also be the city’s youngest mayor in more than 100 years if elected to office.

Mr Cuomo visited all five city boroughs on Nov 3, while Mr Sliwa crisscrossed the city pushing his “tough on crime” message.

The race has centred on cost of living, crime and how each candidate would handle Mr Trump, who has threatened to withhold federal funds from the city.

Mr Mamdani’s rise presents both risks and rewards for the national Democratic Party, which acknowledges the need to appeal to young voters but is also wary of Republican attacks over his criticism of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and his Democratic socialism, which has worried New York’s finance community.

“I think that this has to be a party that actually allows Americans to see themselves in it and not just be a mirror image of just a few people who are engaged in politics,” Mr Mamdani said at a dance event with the elderly on Oct 31.

Mr Trump has used the threats of federal funding cuts throughout his second term in office over climate initiatives, transgender policies, pro-Palestinian protests against Israel’s war in Gaza and diversity, equity and inclusion practices. REUTERS, AFP