Trump says Andrew Cuomo should ‘stay’ in NYC mayoral race, has a ‘good shot’ to win

"I would think that he would have a good shot at winning," Trump said during remarks at the White House on Tuesday, per Fox News.

Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 amid multiple scandals, announced Monday that he would continue his mayoral campaign outside the Democratic Party after losing to State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani in last month’s primary. Trump said on Monday after Cuomo launched his independent bid, "I think he should stay. I think he has a shot."

Mamdani, 33, received national attention after defeating Cuomo and nine other candidates, becoming the Democratic nominee in a race that shook the city’s political establishment. If elected in November, Mamdani would be the first Muslim and first millennial mayor of New York City.

Trump said Cuomo “has to run a tough campaign” and doubled down on his previous criticism of Mamdani, referring to him again as a “communist.”

“I don’t think that race is over yet,” Trump added. “We do have a couple of people running. There are things coming out about him,” he said, alluding to recent controversies surrounding Mamdani.

Mamdani has criticized capitalism frequently, and a 2020 social media post showed Mamdani giving the finger to a statue of Christopher Columbus.

Republicans have also pointed to Mamdani’s December remarks suggesting he would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visited New York.

Mamdani, who was backed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, gained momentum in the primary with an energetic campaign that focused on housing, affordability, and social services. His platform included proposals to eliminate bus fares, freeze municipal housing rents, make CUNY tuition-free, and establish city-run grocery stores.