US President Donald Trump is backing former New York governor Andrew Cuomo for mayor of New York City and threatening to hold back federal funds to the city if Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the mayoral election.

Trump, a Republican who has offered frequent commentary on the New York mayoral election, injected himself further into the race by crossing party lines to support Cuomo over Mamdani and the Republican candidate, Curtis Sliwa, who trails badly in public opinion polls in the heavily Democratic city.

Cuomo is running as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic primary.

Tuesday's New York City election has been closely watched nationally as one that could help shape the image of the Democratic Party as it seeks its identity in opposition to Trump.

Mamdan

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