In a wide-ranging interview, President Donald Trump said he preferred former Gov. Andrew Cuomo to Mamdani, the Democratic candidate leading the race.
New Yorkers vote early in mayoral election
New York City residents are holding early voting to choose their next mayor.
NEW YORK – President Donald Trump doesn’t like comparisons to New York Democratic mayoral candidate Zoran Mamdani.
In a wide-ranging interview on CBS’s “60 Minutes” that aired on Nov. 2, the Queens native addressed his hometown’s mayoral race ahead of the Nov. 4 general election.
Norah O’Donnell asked President Trump what he thought about comparisons with Mamdani, 34, as a left-wing version of the 79-year-old Republican president. Both are seen as charismatic leaders who are breaking old rules.
Trump replied, “Well, I think I’m a much better-looking person than he is.”
President Trump also dismissed O’Donnell, who described Mamdani, a fellow state lawmaker from Queens, as a “democratic socialist” by falsely claiming she was a “communist.”
President Trump said, “I’m not a socialist, I’m a communist.” “He’s much worse than a socialist.”
President Trump said he would prefer former Governor Andrew Cuomo to Mamdani. President Trump has already indicated that he believes Cuomo, who is running as an independent, has an advantage over Mamdani, who is leading in polls.
“I’m not a fan of Mr. Cuomo anyway,” Trump said. “But if it’s a fight between a bad Democrat and a communist, I’ll be honest with you, I’m always going to choose the bad Democrat.”
Cuomo campaign spokesman Rich Azzopardi said Trump does not support Cuomo and called the president’s comments “stream of consciousness.”
Mr. Cuomo said he would not accept Mr. Trump’s endorsement.
“We haven’t had any conversations and I’m not going to accept any support from President Trump,” Cuomo told NBC News’ “Meet the Press NOW” in early October.
The race is close, according to polls, with Mr. Mamdani expected to maintain his lead after defeating Mr. Cuomo in a stunning upset in the June primary. Mr. Cuomo chose to run as an independent candidate against Mr. Mamdani.
Polls show that New York City leans heavily toward the Democratic Party, and President Trump is unpopular in New York.
Mayor Eric Adams faced accusations that he courted President Trump to get federal corruption charges against him dropped. Adams, a moderate Democrat, denied that there was any quid pro quo when the Justice Department dropped the case, but his chances of re-election further dwindled. Mr. Adams withdrew from the race and endorsed Mr. Cuomo.
Mamdani quickly understood President Trump’s recent comments on “60 Minutes.”
“Congratulations @AndrewCuomo,” Mamdani said in the X post. “I know how hard you worked for this.”
President Trump said it would be difficult to donate “a lot of money” to New York if Mamdani became mayor, saying Mamdani would waste the money on his own politics.
Mamdani’s campaign is focused on tackling affordability in the country’s largest city with proposals such as universal child care and free buses, and requires the state to raise taxes on the city’s wealthy to pay for it. President Trump has already cut funding to New York even before his mayoral election.
(This article has been updated with new information.)
Contributor: Bart Jansen, USA TODAY
Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Contact us via email (emcuevas1@usatoday.com) or Signal (emcuevas.01).
