New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani torched former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo over a recent New York Times report saying that President Donald Trump is weighing intervening in the mayoral race and that Cuomo spoke to Trump directly about the heated contest.
Among other things, Mamdani called the reported call between Trump and Cuomo a “betrayal” of New Yorkers. Cuomo denied the reporting, saying on Thursday he has “never” spoken to Trump about the mayoral race.
Why It Matters
The possibility of Trump’s involvement in New York City’s closely watched mayoral race has injected a new level of uncertainty into an already tumultuous contest. With Mamdani, a democratic socialist, securing the Democratic nomination, his progressive platform has become a lightning rod for national and local political forces.
The added element of Trump, a polarizing figure in New York, considering involvement could reshape alliances, influence voter turnout and have implications for the broader 2026 midterm cycle.
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What To Know
“We are standing in front of Federal Plaza, the very site where New Yorkers are being stolen—whether from their families, their friends, or from the city that they call home,” Mamdani said at a news conference Thursday. “It is at this very site that we understand the cost of this news: that former Governor Cuomo has been conspiring with President Trump about the fate of this city, about the future of this city, about the facts of this race.”
“It is knowledge that is a betrayal of everything that we stand for as New Yorkers,” he added.
The Times report said Trump spoke with Cuomo about the mayoral race over the phone in recent weeks, citing three people briefed on the call. It’s not clear who initiated the reported call or what was discussed.
Reached for comment for this article, Cuomo’s spokesperson Rich Azzopardi pointed Newsweek to a Thursday news conference in which Cuomo addressed the Times report.
“I get the whole gossip and the intrigue and President Trump, et cetera. I can’t remember the last time I spoke to President Trump,” the former governor said. “I did call and leave word after the assassination attempt just expressing concern. I left word, I didn’t speak to him at that time. I’ve never spoken to him about the mayor’s race.”
Mamdani, meanwhile, said during Thursday’s address that “it is time for us to make clear that what this city deserves is a mayor who, when he sees Donald Trump attacking the people of this city, will stand up and fight back against that vision, who will not get on the phone with the architect of that vision to speak about a race that we already know should be a referendum on how to make the most expensive city in the United States of America affordable, not a question of how we can install yet another ambassador for Washington, D.C., in City Hall.”
What People Are Saying
Mamdani also said on Thursday: “The job of mayor is not to audition to be the jester for a wannabe king. It is to be the person that stands up for the values of this city, for the fabric of this city, and for the people of this city. And that is what I’m running to do. I believe The New York Times over President Trump and Andrew Cuomo. And we’ve seen as of this morning that they stand by their reporting.”
