Topline
President Donald Trump encouraged voters to back former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in tomorrow’s New York City mayoral election, making the endorsement hours after Tesla chief Elon Musk did the same in a last-minute push against Democratic New York State assemblymember Zohran Mamdani.
Key Facts
Trump said in a Truth Social post, “Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice,” adding, “You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job.”
The Republican president said he would rather see Cuomo, a former Democratic candidate running as an independent, win the election than Mamdani, whom Trump called a “communist with no experience.”
Trump also framed a vote for Republican nominee and radio talk show host Curits Sliwa as a vote for Mamdani.
Musk urged his followers to “VOTE CUOMO!” and also said a vote for Sliwa “is really a vote for Mumdumi or whatever his name is,” satirically referring to Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Musk, who is usually outspoken about political matters, had been relatively quiet about the New York City mayoral race and Mamdani, the Democratic nominee whom he called “the future of the Democratic Party” in a tweet last week.
The comments come as Mamdani leads Cuomo and Sliwa in the vast majority of polls, many of which he holds a double-digit lead in, according to The New York Times.
Musk endorsed Trump in the 2024 presidential election and has typically thrown his support behind Republican candidates since then.
What Other Billionaires Have Opposed Mamdani?
Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman and cosmetics heir Ronald Lauder, who have been directly called out by Mamdani, have tried to rally against the 34-year-old candidate, with the former throwing $1.75 million into political groups opposing Mamdani and the latter contributing $750,000. At least 26 billionaires have contributed $100,000 or more into supporting Cuomo, according to a Forbes analysis.
Key Background
Mamdani won the New York City Democratic mayoral primary in June, defeating Cuomo with 56% of the vote. Some of Mamdani’s key campaign issues include housing affordability, social programs and taxation on corporations and the wealthy, while Cuomo has placed his campaign’s focus on public safety, public housing and education. Mamdani’s platform and democratic socialist ties has received scrutiny from Trump, who told “60 Minutes” it would be “hard” to earmark money for New York City because “if you have a communist running New York, all you’re doing is wasting the money you’re sending there.” Trump doubled down on his statement Monday, saying, “it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required” to New York City if Mamdani wins. However, Mamdani’s agenda is popular among progressive Democrats and young voters, who have taken to his proposed affordability policies, one of which includes a rent freeze for rent-stabilized apartments.
Further Reading
Anyone But Mamdani: These Billionaires Are Spending Big To Stop Him From Becoming NYC’s Mayor (Forbes)
Here Are The Two Billionaires Supporting Zohran Mamdani (Forbes)