Trump backs long-time rival Cuomo for NYC Mayor with risk towards ‘communist’ Mamdani: Live updates
Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City’s mayoral race, has said Donald Trump is “threatened” by his campaign as the president backs former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
“Donald Trump is threatened by our campaign,” Mamdani told CNN Monday night. “He’s threatened by it because, like his, we’ve diagnosed the crisis in working-class New Yorkers’ lives, the cost of living, but unlike him, we’re actually going to deliver on that.”
The president threw his support behind Cuomo earlier Monday, writing on Truth Social, “Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice.”
He also said it would be “highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds” to New York City if “communist” Mamdani wins the election. Mamdani identifies as a Democratic socialist.
Trump has also warned that voting for Democrats in the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial elections is a “death wish.”
“Virginia and New Jersey, VOTE REPUBLICAN IF YOU WANT MASSIVE ENERGY COST AND CRIME REDUCTIONS. The Democrats will double and even triple your Energy Costs, and CRIME will be rampant,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday evening without providing statistics to back up his claims.
Which races to watch ahead of Election Day
There are several high-profile races to look out for as we head into Election Day on Tuesday.
New York City’s mayoral race
- Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani is facing off against former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.
- Mamdani is leading in the polls with 43.9 percent of voter support in a new Atlas Intel poll. Cuomo is trailing with 39.4 percent, followed by Sliwa with 15.5 percent.
Virginia’s gubernatorial race
- Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, a Republican, is running against former Democratic congresswoman Abigail Spanberger in the governor’s race.
- Spanberger is leading in the polls with 54 percent of voter support in a new Research Co. poll, compared to Earle-Sears’ 46 percent.
New Jersey’s gubernatorial race
- Former state legislator Jack Ciattarelli is the Republican choice in New Jersey, up against Democratic Representative Mikie Sherrill.
- New Jersey’s gubernatorial race is closer than Virginia’s. In the same Research Co. poll, Sherrill leads Ciattarelli by just three percentage points, 51 to 48 percent.
California’s ballot measure
- Californians will vote on whether they want to change the blue state’s congressional district maps in response to Texas’ redistricting in favor of Republicans.
ICYMI: Trump takes swipe at Mamdani’s appearance
Journalist Norah O’Donnell began to ask Trump about the race, describing Mamdani as a Democratic socialist, when the president interrupted: “Communist. Not socialist, communist. He’s far worse than a socialist.”
“Some people have compared him to a left-wing version of you: charismatic, breaking the old rules. What do you think about that?” O’Donnell pressed.
The president replied: “Well, I think I’m a much better-looking person than him. Right?”
Read more from Kelly Rissman:
When will New Yorkers find out who has won the NYC mayoral race?
The nailbiting final day of the race for New York Mayor is upon us, and millions of people living in and around the city are eager to know whether Andrew Cuomo, Zohran Mamdani or Curtis Sliwa will win the election.
So when will the results come out?
Polls will finally close at 9pm E.T, but all votes will need to be counted in order to ensure that the election is both free and fair.
During the last mayoral election, the count ended in Queens at 12:25 a.m. ET when 90% of the votes had come in and the winner had become clear.
Hopefully, that means New Yorkers will find out who their new mayor is this evening, although some vote counts have been known to take longer.
Watch: Curtis Sliwa responds to question about regrets if he loses NYC mayoral race to Mamdani
Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa has responded to a question about regrets if he loses New York City’s mayoral race to Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani.
CNN’s Kasie Hunt asked Sliwa Monday afternoon, “If Mamdani’s elected and…he does run the city as a communist, are you going to have any regrets?”
“Why should I have regrets?” Sliwa said.
Mamdani identifies as a Democratic socialist, not a communist, as President Donald Trump has claimed.
What does Mamdani actually want to do, if elected mayor?
Donald Trump has continually claimed that Zohran Mamdani is a “communist” and a “radical.” But what does the mayoral candidate actually want to do if he wins?
Mamdani says that he wants to make New York City, which is one of the most expensive cities in the world, more affordable.
To do that, he wants to freeze rent on certain homes as well as bringing NYC’s corporate tax rate in line with New Jersey’s.
With the money he raises from that scheme, Mamdani plans to open government owned grocery stores and to make bus travel in the city free.
The Democratic candidate has also vowed to build more housing and warned Donald Trump that, if he wants to deploy the National Guard in New York, he will “have to get through me.”
‘She’s out’: Nancy Pelosi expected to quit politics after California votes on redistricting this week: report
“I think she’s preparing to exit the stage,” a House Democratic leadership aide told the outlet. “We will not fully appreciate the time we have spent with her.”
“I wish she would stay for 10 more years,” a House Democrat added in an interview with NBC. “I think she’s out. She’s going to go out with Prop 50 overwhelmingly passing, and what a crowning achievement for her to do that.”
Read more from Josh Marcus:
MAGA conspiracy theorist and Trump influencer Laura Loomer now credentialed to ‘cover’ the Pentagon after media purge: report
Laura Loomer, a right-wing political influencer known for her Islamophobic positions and fierce online attacks on figures seen as insufficiently loyal to President Donald Trump, has reportedly been credentialed to cover the Pentagon.
The Independent has contacted the Pentagon and Loomer for comment.
The new media policy bans reporters from soliciting any information from military officials without prior authorization from the Pentagon, and nearly every American news organization – including Trump-friendly networks such as Fox News and Newsmax — has rejected it.
Read more from Josh Marcus:
Watch: New York Democrat defends decision to endorse Andrew Cuomo
Watch: Stephen Miller says New Yorkers need to ‘unite’ behind Cuomo
White House official Stephen Miller has called on New Yorkers to “unite” behind former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo so he can beat Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee in New York City’s mayoral race.
Source: independent.co.uk
