President Donald Trump made a late bid to swing the New York City mayoral race, urging voters to back Andrew Cuomo in an effort to block Zohran Mamdani, a frequent target of the president's ire.

Cuomo is a long-time Democrat and former governor of New York who is now running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani, a democratic socialist who leads in the polls.

"I would much rather see a Democrat, who has had a Record of Success, WIN" than Mamdani, Trump wrote on social media, adding: "Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!"

Trump's comments are his most enthusiastic so far for Cuomo, whom he grudgingly suggested would be a better choice than Mamdani in a "60 Minutes" interview that aired Nov. 2.

"I'm not a fan of Cuomo one way or the other," Trump said, while adding he would prefer a "bad Democrat" to Mamdani, a state assemblyman who has pledged to stand up to the president.

The Republican president also said in his Nov. 3 comments that a vote for the GOP candidate in the race, Curtis Sliwa, is a "vote for Mamdani" and continued to threaten to withhold federal funds from the city if Mamdani wins.

"It is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required," Trump wrote.

Trump is working to rally his supporters behind Cuomo in the final hours of a campaign that has emerged as one of the premier contests of 2025, with Mamdani attracting national attention and repeated attacks from Trump, who has portrayed him as too liberal. Polls have showed the race tightening.

Cuomo told NBC News’ "Meet the Press NOW" in October that "I have not had a conversation, nor would I accept an endorsement from President Trump" as he campaigns in the heavily Democratic city, where the president is unpopular.

Mamdani jabbed at the former governor after Trump expressed his support for the candidate on "60 Minutes."

"Congratulations, @AndrewCuomo," Mamdani said on social media. "I know how hard you worked for this."

Contributing: Eduardo Cuevas

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'No choice.' Trump urges New Yorkers to back Andrew Cuomo in late bid to block Mamdani.

Reporting by Zac Anderson, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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