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Cuomo Finds Unlikely Supporter in Donald Trump

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

In a surprising turn of events, former US President Donald Trump has expressed support for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's bid to become the next mayor of New York City. Despite their highly publicized feud, Trump's endorsement marks a significant shift in the anti-Zohran Mamdani alliance that unites Republicans and some establishment Democrats. Cuomo's decision to run as an independent after losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani has created an unprecedented alliance with Trump, who has publicly attacked Mamdani as a "communist."

Key Takeaways:

  • Trump's support for Cuomo represents a break from their highly publicized enmity, but also signals the expansion of the anti-Zohran Mamdani alliance.
  • Cuomo's decision to stay in the mayoral race as an independent has created an alliance with Trump, who has publicly attacked Mamdani as a "communist."
  • Trump's endorsement is a surprise given his previous attacks on Cuomo, but could potentially boost Cuomo's chances in the mayoral election.
  • Mamdani's campaign has responded to Trump's support by congratulating Cuomo on the "coveted endorsement" and stating that the question now is whether Cuomo will publicly accept Trump's support.
  • Cuomo lost the Democratic primary to Mamdani by 12 percentage points in June's ranked-choice voting primary, with Mamdani receiving 573,123 votes after 103,408 votes were transferred from other candidates.
  • Cuomo confirmed his plan to run in November on an independent ballot line on Monday, after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic primary.
  • The NYC Board of Elections' unofficial figures showed that in round three of the Democratic Party's ranked-choice voting primary last month, Mamdani received 573,123 votes after 103,408 votes were transferred from other candidates.
  • Trump has launched attacks on Mamdani in the weeks following his primary win, including a vague Truth Social post this month that vowed not to let Mamdani "destroy New York."
  • Mamdani has responded by saying he is "Donald Trump's worst nightmare."

Statistics:

  • Cuomo lost the Democratic primary to Mamdani by 12 percentage points in June's ranked-choice voting primary.
  • Mamdani received 573,123 votes after 103,408 votes were transferred from other candidates in round three of the Democratic primary.
  • Mamdani's vote total in round three broke the previous record for the highest total votes a Democratic New York mayoral primary winner received, when David Dinkins beat Ed Koch in a non-ranked-choice election with 547,901 votes in 1989.

Sources:

  • Axios: "Donald Trump publicly backs Andrew Cuomo in NYC mayoral race"
  • Axios: "Andrew Cuomo confirms plan to run in November on independent ballot line"
  • Axios: "Zohran Mamdani campaign says it 'congratulates Andrew Cuomo' on 'coveted endorsement'"
  • NYC Board of Elections: "Unofficial Figures: June 2025 Ranked-Choice Voting Primary"
  • Am New York: "Eric Adams fundraises in Florida with Trump supporters"
  • Twitter: @JCColtin

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