Trump weighs in on Mamdani, says it’s ‘hard’ to federally fund New York if leftist frontrunner wins mayoralty

US President Donald Trump has weighed in on New York’s mayoral race, warning that he would be hard-pressed to continue federally funding his home town if Democratic Socialist front-runner Zohran Mamdani wins.

Mr Trump, a former Big Apple resident of note, has loomed over the city’s mayoral race for months. The Republican President has threatened to arrest Mr Mamdani, deport him and take over the city if he wins.

He told a television interview: “It’s gonna be hard for me as the President to give a lot of money to New York, because if you have a Communist running New York, all you’re doing is wasting the money you’re sending there .”

He followed up his comments on CBS News’ 60 Minutes with a post on Truth Social on Monday, saying that New Yorkers have “no choice” but to vote for Mr Mamdani’s rival candidate and former governor Andrew Cuomo, as he reiterated a threat to withhold federal funds from the city if the left-wing favourite wins.

“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,” Mr Trump wrote.

The President’s comments hung over the last full day of campaigning before Tuesday’s election as Mr Cuomo decried socialism while shaking hands in Manhattan and the Bronx, Mr Mamdani walked over the Brooklyn Bridge with supporters at sunrise and Republican Curtis Sliwa campaigned on Coney Island.

More than 735,000 votes were cast during the city’s nine days of early, in-person voting — more than four times the number of ballots cast during the only other mayor’s race to allow early voting, in 2021.

The tally was well short of the nearly 1.1 million early, in-person votes cast during last year’s presidential election, but some voting locations saw large crowds Sunday, the last day of early voting.

The line at one polling place in downtown Brooklyn snaked around the building and, at one point, took an hour to cast a ballot.

A frenzied last stretch

Mr Cuomo’s schedule was packed Monday, with stops in each of the boroughs for a get-out-the-vote effort. He wasted little time in attacking Mr Mamdani. At one early stop, the former Democrat governor likened a potential Mamdani administration to left-wing governments in Latin America.

“Socialism didn’t work in Venezuela. Socialism didn’t work in Cuba. Socialism is not going to work in New York City,” he said.

Mr Cuomo, 67, is trying to make his return to political office after resigning as governor four years ago following a barrage of sexual harassment accusations that he denies.

A Democrat running as an independent, he’s shifted to wooing Republican voters to bolster his centrist base, pitching himself as the only candidate who can stop Mr Mamdani.

Mr Mamdani kicked off the day by crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, carrying a banner alongside Democratic allies.

“I continue to be confident about our chances heading into Election Day tomorrow,” Mr Mamdani, 34, said at a news conference outside City Hall. “But I will not allow myself or let this movement to become complacent.”

Mr Mamdani, a state assembly member who would be the city’s first Muslim mayor, beat Mr Cuomo in the primary with an energetic campaign focused on making the city a more affordable place to live.

As the race approaches the finish line, Mr Mamdani has continued to post viral social media videos and urge his progressive fans to maintain the enthusiasm and send as many supporters to the polls as possible.

Mr Mamdani’s busy weekend of campaigning included nightclub appearances, watching the Buffalo Bills at a bar with Governor Kathy Hochul and attending a Knicks game — in the nosebleed seats, drawing a contrast with Mr Cuomo’s courtside view a few weeks earlier.

Mr Sliwa, the red beret-wearing creator of the Guardian Angels crime patrol group, visited a subway stop in Brooklyn, laying a wreath for a woman who died last year after being set on fire at the station, before setting off to rally his supporters in the outer boroughs.

“I’m running because this city deserves safety, accountability, and leadership that won’t look the other way,” Mr Sliwa wrote on social media.

Trump weighs in

Apart from his tacit warnings on federal funds, Mr Trump echoed a line that Mr Cuomo has stressed in the final weeks of his campaign, saying, “A vote for Curtis Sliwa (who looks much better without the beret!) is a vote for Mamdani.”

Mr Cuomo was not asked directly about the President’s tacit endorsement during an interview Monday evening on WABC Radio but expressed agreement with Mr Trump’s comments.

“The President is right. A vote for Sliwa is a vote for Mamdani. And that’s why this election is now up to the Republicans,” Mr Cuomo said.

The battle is on social media, too

Mr Cuomo on Friday released another of the AI-generated ads that have been a fixture of his campaign, this time showing a fake Mr Mamdani going trick-or-treating for Halloween. The video has a disclaimer that it is “AI generated.”

The former governor has been criticized for his use of artificial intelligence in ads, and in one instance pulled down a fabricated ad depicting Mr Mamdani eating rice with his hands and describing his supporters as criminals. A campaign spokesperson said the video was posted in error.

Mr Mamdani, meanwhile, released a social media video of him speaking Arabic — which, he admits in the ad, “needs some work.” He has previously put out videos speaking Spanish and Bengali.