Andrew Cuomo, once the governor of New York and now an independent mayoral candidate, has found himself at the heart of a political storm after comments surfaced suggesting he expects help from none other than President Donald Trump and top Republicans to defeat Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani in the upcoming New York City mayoral election. The remarks, made at a Hamptons fundraiser on August 16, 2025, have sparked fierce reactions across the city’s political spectrum and raised questions about alliances, strategy, and the future direction of the city’s leadership.
According to Politico, Cuomo told donors at the Southampton home of media executive Jimmy Finkelstein that he anticipated Trump and other leading Republicans would urge their supporters to back him as the best chance to stop Mamdani, who trounced Cuomo in the Democratic primary earlier this summer. “We can minimize the Sliwa vote, because he’ll never be a serious candidate,” Cuomo said, referring to Curtis Sliwa, the perennial Republican contender. “And Trump himself, as well as top Republicans, will say the goal is to stop Mamdani. And you’ll be wasting your vote on Sliwa. So I feel good about that.”
Audio of the event, obtained by Politico and corroborated by other outlets, shows Cuomo openly speculating about a scenario where the Republican vote consolidates behind him, effectively sidelining Sliwa. The logic is straightforward: with incumbent Mayor Eric Adams and Sliwa both polling in the single digits, a split among moderates and conservatives could pave the way for Mamdani’s victory. Cuomo’s camp is betting that, with the right push from Trump and GOP leaders, he can emerge as the only viable alternative to the left-leaning Mamdani.
This overture to Trump is especially striking given the pair’s complicated history. Cuomo, when pressed at the fundraiser about his relationship with the president, was candid but careful. “Let’s put it this way: I knew the president very well,” Cuomo said, according to The New York Times. “I believe there’s a big piece of him that actually wants redemption in New York. He feels that he was rejected by New York. We voted for Hillary Clinton. Bill de Blasio took his name off things. So I believe there will be opportunities to actually cooperate with him. I also believe that he’s not going to want to fight with me in New York if he can avoid it.”
Despite these comments, Cuomo’s campaign has repeatedly insisted that he is not actively seeking Trump’s support. Spokesman Rich Azzopardi told Politico and The Independent that Cuomo was merely speculating in response to a hypothetical posed by a donor. “We’re not asking for or expecting help from anyone — he also said the mayor would have to drop out and the mayor said he wasn’t going to,” Azzopardi said. “Governor Cuomo is the only chance to beat Mamdani and ensure the greatest city in the world stays the greatest city in the world.”
Still, the optics of Cuomo’s remarks have not gone unnoticed by his rivals. Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee and a self-described democratic socialist, wasted no time seizing on the leaked audio. “At (another) Hamptons fundraiser with Republican donors on Saturday, Andrew Cuomo said it plainly: he’s expecting Trump’s help to defeat us in November. ‘I feel good about that,’ Cuomo said. New Yorkers won’t,” Mamdani posted on X (formerly Twitter), as reported by Common Dreams and Politico. Mamdani later added, “Now we’re seeing the results of that collaboration. But as we showed in the primary, our hustle can defeat their money. Let’s get organized and win even bigger. Eleven more weeks.”
The controversy comes at a time when Mamdani is enjoying a commanding lead in the polls. A Siena Institute survey cited by New York Magazine found Mamdani with 44% of the vote among registered New York City voters, with Cuomo trailing at 25%, Sliwa at 12%, and Adams at 7%. Another poll from Gotham Polling & Analytics for AARP, conducted on August 11 and reported by The Independent, showed similar numbers: Mamdani at 41.8%, Cuomo at 23.4%, Sliwa at 16.5%, and Adams at 8.8%.
Yet, the same polls suggest that if Sliwa and Adams were to drop out, Cuomo’s chances could improve dramatically, making the consolidation of anti-Mamdani votes a real possibility. That calculus appears to be driving Cuomo’s current strategy—even as he denies any formal alliance with Trump or the GOP.
For his part, President Trump has played coy about his involvement in the race. After The New York Times reported earlier this month that Trump and Cuomo had spoken on the phone about the mayoral contest, both men denied the call occurred. Trump has publicly criticized Mamdani, calling him a “communist” and threatening a federal takeover of the city if he wins. He’s also dismissed Sliwa as a perennial candidate and, according to New York Magazine, noted that Cuomo “has capability” but was defeated in the primary. Despite the speculation, Trump has not endorsed any candidate and told reporters he has not spoken with Cuomo about the race.
Meanwhile, Mamdani’s campaign has focused on the city’s affordability crisis, promising fare-free buses, universal free childcare, city-run grocery stores, and a rent freeze on regulated apartments. His victory in the June Democratic primary was decisive, and his platform has energized progressives while drawing attacks from centrist Democrats and conservatives alike. Cuomo and his allies have labeled Mamdani’s proposals “unrealistic” and criticized his support for Palestinian rights, but these attacks have yet to dent his popularity.
As the campaign heads into its final weeks, the dynamic remains unsettled. Maria Sliwa, media director for Curtis Sliwa’s campaign, told The Independent, “It’s just sad that Andrew Cuomo thinks a Trump headline will save him. If he actually left the Hamptons, he’d see that New Yorkers regret everything he stands for, from being the architect of crime with his disastrous no-bail law to his failed COVID policies that devastated families. His campaign is a mess, and desperate people do desperate things.”
Adding to the drama, Mamdani’s spokesperson Dora Pekec accused Cuomo of trying “to rig the election,” telling Politico, “Since he’s too afraid to say it to New Yorkers’ faces, we’ll make it clear: Andrew Cuomo IS Donald Trump’s choice for mayor.”
With eleven weeks left until Election Day, the contest for New York City mayor has become a test of alliances, strategy, and the city’s political soul. Whether Cuomo’s gamble pays off, or whether Mamdani’s grassroots momentum prevails, one thing is certain: New Yorkers will have a choice that echoes far beyond the five boroughs.
