On the eve of New York City’s mayoral election, US President Donald Trump issued a blunt warning to voters, saying the city could lose access to federal funds if left-wing candidate Zohran Mamdani is elected. In a lengthy Truth Social post late Monday, Trump branded Mamdani a “Communist” and said he would provide New York only the “bare minimum” of federal support if the state assemblymember became mayor.
“This once-great City has ZERO chance of success, or even survival,” Trump wrote. He added that he would rather see “a Democrat with a record of success” win than “a Communist with no experience and a record of complete and total failure.” Trump also disparaged Mamdani’s performance as an assemblymember and urged conservative voters not to back Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, calling a vote for him effectively a vote for Mamdani, as per a report on Times of India. Instead, he urged them to support former governor Andrew Cuomo.
The president’s remarks came as the mayoral campaign entered its final stretch, with over 735,000 New Yorkers already casting early in-person ballots — more than four times the number from the 2021 mayoral race. Lines stretched for hours at several polling centers on Sunday, the last day of early voting.
Zohran Mamdani’s NYC Mayoral Race
Mamdani, who would become the city’s first Muslim mayor if elected, defeated Cuomo in the Democratic primary with a grassroots campaign focused on housing affordability and economic reform. Over the weekend, the 34-year-old candidate made campaign stops at nightclubs, watched a Buffalo Bills game with Governor Kathy Hochul, and attended a Knicks match from the upper stands — a symbolic contrast to Cuomo’s recent courtside appearance.
Cuomo, who has been closing the gap in recent polls, appeared to cautiously welcome Trump’s comments. “Now it’s gonna be up to the Republicans, and I hope they listen to the president,” he told WABC Radio. But he later clarified that Trump had not formally endorsed him.
According to the latest AtlasIntel poll, Mamdani leads with 41% support, followed by Cuomo at 34% and Sliwa at 24%.
