President Donald Trump voiced alarm Tuesday over the state of the New York City mayoral race, saying he fears the city could soon find itself led by a “communist.” He added that, given the current lineup of candidates, he might even prefer a mainstream Democrat over a far-left radical in charge of City Hall.
When asked at the White House whether he thought Republican contender Curtis Sliwa should bow out, Trump declined to back anyone outright but said the polls painted a troubling picture. “Well, I looked at the polls and looks like we’re going to have a communist as the mayor of New York,” he said. “It’ll be very interesting. But here’s the good news. He’s got to go through the White House, everything goes through the White House. At least this White House, it does.”
Trump seemed to imply that Sliwa’s withdrawal might help Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent, but doubted it would be enough to stop Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani from winning. “If he [Sliwa] dropped out, he’s not going to win. And not looking too good for Cuomo either,” Trump said. “Maybe if he dropped out, Cuomo would have a little bit of a chance. But not much. Because it looks like the lead is—it’s not a great lead, but it’s big enough that he should be able to win.”
Asked if he would sit down with Mamdani should the left-wing assemblyman win, Trump didn’t hesitate. “Yeah, I’ll speak to him,” the president replied. “I think I have an obligation to speak to him.”
The president went on to express sadness at what he described as New York’s rapid decline since his own departure. “I love New York. I’ve always loved New York. I just can’t believe a thing like this is happening,” he said. “I left New York, and we had a mayor, [Bill] de Blasio, who was a disaster… New York was a hot city. And now it’s — it’s sad to see what’s happening, frankly.”
He also warned that far-left economic experiments have always failed. “With the communist in charge… look, you just go back a thousand years. I mean, it’s been done many times, a thousand years. It’s never worked once. So it’s not going to work now.”
Mamdani, a state assemblyman affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America, has openly championed policies such as legalizing prostitution and sharply taxing the wealthy. His campaign has been embraced by figures like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, both prominent voices in the progressive movement.
The city’s mayoral election will take place on November 4. Representatives for Mamdani, Cuomo, and Sliwa did not respond to requests for comment.
{Matzav.com}
