Mamdani Seizes on Cuomo-Trump Rumor to Energize Base in NYC Mayoral Race

By: Andrew Carlson

A disputed report suggesting that former Governor Andrew Cuomo and former President Donald Trump have been in recent communication has set off a political firestorm in New York City — one that socialist mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani appears determined to exploit.

According to a report that appeared on Thursday in The New York Post, the rumor, first advanced in a New York Times report, alleged that Cuomo and Trump had recently spoken by phone. Both men swiftly denied the account, but the mere suggestion of contact between the two high-profile political figures has reverberated across the already volatile mayoral race, providing Mamdani with a potent rallying cry for his supporters.

The Queens assemblyman, who secured the Democratic nomination in June, moved quickly to capitalize on the controversy. Mamdani embarked on what The New York Post described as an “all-out tour” aimed at energizing voters who view Trump unfavorably, particularly within the city’s progressive and left-leaning constituencies.

Behind the scenes, The New York Post reported that senior White House officials have been making discreet calls to New York lawmakers and political insiders to gauge whether Trump should publicly enter the fray. While the former president’s intentions remain unclear, sources told the outlet that Trump is weighing whether an intervention would be strategically advantageous.

In a Thursday interview with WNYC, Mamdani labeled Cuomo’s alleged contact with Trump as “disqualifying,” citing what he characterized as the former president’s “attacks on the city.” He continued the offensive hours later at a hastily arranged rally outside 26 Federal Plaza, a federal building where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations have drawn criticism from immigrant advocacy groups.

Standing alongside union leaders, Mamdani delivered pointed remarks aimed at both Cuomo and Trump. “The job of mayor is not to audition to be the jester for a want-to-be king,” he declared. “New Yorkers do not want a mayor who is working in tandem with the president to subvert the will of the people of New York City.”

The New York Post report noted that the remarks marked a significant escalation in Mamdani’s rhetoric, illustrating how the unverified claim of Trump-Cuomo coordination has become a central theme in his campaign messaging.

Mamdani’s commanding position in the polls is reshaping the race. The New York Post reported that surveys show the Democratic nominee with a clear lead over Cuomo, current Mayor Eric Adams — who is running as an independent — and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa. The November general election is now viewed by political observers as Mamdani’s contest to lose, given the city’s Democratic lean and the fragmentation among his rivals.

Nevertheless, Trump’s potential involvement could inject new volatility into the campaign. The former president, a Queens native who relocated to Florida, has maintained a keen interest in New York City politics, particularly when they intersect with broader national debates over law enforcement, immigration, and urban governance.

“President Trump thinks it will be a disaster if the little commie Mamdani wins the mayoralty,” former City Council president Andrew Stein told The New York Post. Stein, who counts both Trump and Cuomo as personal acquaintances, said he visited the White House in recent weeks to discuss the race. “The president loves New York. He’s a New Yorker at heart.”

Billionaire businessman John Catsimatidis, a supporter of both Adams and Trump, told The New York Post that he had dinner with Trump last week and urged the former president to hold off on making any endorsements until September. “He loves New York and wants quality-of-life to be right and it to be the capital of capitalism,” Catsimatidis said.

The Post further reported that Trump’s personal views on the current mayoral field are far from enthusiastic. According to a source familiar with his thinking, Trump believes Adams is politically damaged and unlikely to win re-election, holds longstanding grievances with Sliwa, and has a strained relationship with Cuomo despite their decades-long acquaintance.

The friction between Trump and Sliwa is reportedly irreparable, with sources telling The New York Post that the two men have been at odds for years over political style and strategy.

Civil rights activist and television host Rev. Al Sharpton told The New York Post that any overt involvement by Trump in the race would likely benefit Mamdani. In Sharpton’s view, an endorsement from Trump would be politically toxic for any candidate in deep-blue New York City, where the former president’s unfavorable rating stands at 62%, according to recent polling cited by the paper.

“It’s a gift with a bow on it,” Sharpton said. “If I were running for mayor the last person I would want supporting me is Donald Trump. If I were Mamdani I’d say, ‘A vote for my opponent is a vote for Trump.’”

Sharpton further noted that such a development could mobilize older Black and Latino voters, two key constituencies, to rally behind Mamdani in greater numbers.

As The New York Post report highlighted, despite Trump’s improved performance in the city during the 2024 presidential race compared to prior years, he remains deeply unpopular among the majority of New Yorkers. Mamdani is currently the only mayoral candidate whose favorability rating is not “deep underwater,” according to polling data reviewed by the paper.

This reality makes the question of whether Trump should publicly engage in the race a complex one. While an endorsement might energize Republican voters in the city, it could also consolidate opposition among Democrats and left-leaning independents, effectively strengthening Mamdani’s position.

Mamdani, for his part, is seeking to portray himself as the sole candidate free from what he alleges are compromising ties to Trump. Speaking to supporters Thursday, he claimed that Adams was “functionally controlled” by the president due to the Justice Department’s decision not to pursue a federal criminal case against him. He also pointed to Sliwa’s role as the Republican nominee as evidence of alignment with Trump’s political agenda.

“The fact is, the president has three candidates in this race,” Mamdani said. “One that he’s directly been in touch with, another that he bailed out of legal trouble and now functionally controls, and the final one literally being a member of the same Republican Party.”

Cuomo, for his part, has dismissed Mamdani’s claims as unfounded and politically motivated. In public statements, the former governor has emphasized his independence and denied any recent communication with Trump.

The New York Post reported that Trump’s aides are divided over whether he should become directly involved. Some argue that weighing in could help shape the city’s political climate in ways favorable to his broader national messaging ahead of the 2028 presidential cycle. Others caution that the risk of inadvertently boosting Mamdani — a staunch critic of both Trump and centrist Democrats — is too high.

There is precedent for Trump inserting himself into local New York politics, but the outcomes have been mixed. While his endorsements have historically carried weight in Republican primaries, their impact in overwhelmingly Democratic general elections has often been negligible or counterproductive.

The unusual alignment of figures like Cuomo, Adams, and Sliwa in Trump’s political calculations speaks to the complex interplay of personality and policy in New York City politics. As The New York Post report observed, Trump’s relationships with these figures have been shaped over decades, through both alliances and public disputes.

For Cuomo, the suggestion of cooperation with Trump is politically fraught. The former governor’s national profile was built in part on his sharp critiques of the Trump administration, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Any perception that he might now be coordinating with the former president, even if unfounded, carries significant political risk in the city’s overwhelmingly Democratic electorate.

For Adams, the stakes are different. The current mayor faces declining approval ratings and ongoing scrutiny over public safety and governance issues. While distancing himself from Trump may be politically necessary, the perception that his administration benefited from federal leniency under the Trump Justice Department could complicate efforts to project independence.

Sliwa, meanwhile, faces the challenge of running as a Republican in a city where the GOP brand has limited appeal. His longstanding disagreements with Trump may help him with some moderate voters, but they also risk alienating the Republican base.

With less than three months until the general election, the possibility of Trump weighing in looms as a wild card. As The New York Post report indicated, the decision will likely be influenced by a combination of polling data, behind-the-scenes lobbying by New York political figures, and Trump’s own instincts about the race’s symbolic importance.

For Mamdani, the rumor of a Trump-Cuomo connection — whether substantiated or not — has provided an opening to sharpen his contrasts with the rest of the field. By framing himself as the only candidate untainted by association with the former president, he aims to consolidate his lead and expand his appeal to voters skeptical of establishment politics.

For the other candidates, the challenge is to navigate a political environment in which Trump’s name carries both mobilizing and polarizing effects. The coming weeks will reveal whether they can do so without conceding further ground to a socialist candidate who, as The New York Post noted, now stands “within a stone’s throw of Gracie Mansion.”