(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump has thrown his support behind former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the New York City mayoral race, urging voters to reject left-wing front-runner Zohran Mamdani.

“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday evening. “He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!”

Cuomo responded to the endorsement by clarifying, “He's not endorsing me. He's opposing Mamdani,” highlighting the president’s focus on blocking Mamdani rather than actively backing him.

Trump also signaled he might limit federal funding to New York City if Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, wins the election. “It is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required,” he said. Earlier, in a television interview, Trump called Mamdani a “communist” and suggested that a leftist administration would make it difficult for him to provide federal support.

Mamdani dismissed the threat, saying, “I will address that threat for what it is: it is a threat. It is not the law.” The 34-year-old state assemblyman, a self-described democratic socialist, has rejected communist labels, joking that he is “kind of like a Scandinavian politician, only browner.” If elected, he would become New York City’s first Muslim mayor and its youngest in over a century.

Opinion polls currently show Mamdani ahead of Cuomo, who is running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary, with Republican Curtis Sliwa trailing. Trump, a Republican, did not endorse Sliwa, claiming, “A vote for Curtis Sliwa … is a vote for Mamdani.”

Mamdani criticized Trump’s support for Cuomo, calling it reflective of the former president’s self-interest. “Not the best mayor for New York City, not the best mayor for New Yorkers, but the best mayor for Donald Trump and his administration,” he said. Mamdani has described Cuomo as a “puppet and parrot” of Trump and emphasized his campaign aims to offer an alternative that prioritizes the dignity of all New Yorkers.

Cuomo has positioned himself as the candidate best equipped to navigate the Trump administration. He highlighted his experience as New York governor during the Covid-19 pandemic, noting, “I fought Donald Trump. When I'm fighting for New York, I am not going to stop.”

Trump’s involvement in Democratic-led cities has included deploying National Guard troops as part of a crime crackdown and seeking to reduce federal funding to jurisdictions that restrict cooperation with federal immigration authorities, a backdrop that underscores the stakes of the New York City mayoral contest.

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