(MENAFN- Live Mint) The Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani took to his official social media accounts and made a tongue-in-cheek remark about Donald Trump's unexpected backing of Andrew Cuomo.

Mamdani posted an image stating,“Trump Endorses Andrew Cuomo." He mentioned, "Congratulations, Andrew Cuomo. I know how hard you worked for this.”

The New York City mayoral election is set to take place on November 4, 2025. The contest to lead the nation's largest city includes Democratic state legislator Zohran Mamdani, independent candidate and former Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.

What did Trump say?

Trump caused a stir by favouring Cuomo over Mamdani during his appearance on 60 Minutes. In the interview, Trump mentioned that if he had to choose between a "bad Democrat" or a“communist”, he would choose the“bad Democrat.” He suggested that between Andrew Cuomo and Zohran Mamdani, Cuomo is the lesser of two evils. However, the president also asserted that he is not a fan of Cuomo.

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Trump stated,“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. So I don't know that he's won, and I'm not a fan of Cuomo one way or the other, but if it's gonna be between a bad Democrat and a communist, I'm gonna pick the bad Democrat all the time, to be honest with you.”

Mamdani's decisive win over Cuomo in the June primary sparked enthusiasm among the party's progressive faction, while causing concern within the party establishment. Key figures, including Governor Kathy Hochul and US House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, only endorsed the self-described democratic socialist several months after he secured the nomination.

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A self-described democratic socialist from a prominent family, Mamdani, 34, was born in Uganda to Indian parents and has lived in the United States since age seven, becoming a naturalised citizen in 2018. If elected, he would become New York's first Muslim mayor.

Mamdani enjoys significant support from young and immigrant voters, largely due to his campaign's focus on the city's rising cost of living for its roughly 8.5 million residents, according to AFP. He has vowed expanded rent control, free daycare and bus services and city-operated neighbourhood grocery stores.

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