Trump claims that it appears Mamdani is “going to win.”

After weeks of deliberations among his advisors, supporters, and backers regarding his potential intervention in the New York City mayoral race, President Trump seems more and more resigned to the possibility that the Democratic nominee, Zohran Mamdani, will win.

The president stated during his Friday morning appearance on “Fox and Friends” in New York that former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo lamented the caliber of Mr. Mamdani’s opponents, but he still had a chance to defeat him if two other contenders withdrew. ‌.

Regarding Mr. Mamdani, Republican Mr. Trump remarked, “I’m not paying too much attention to the polls, but it would look like he’s going to win.”. And that is an act of rebellion. It is a revolt against unworthy candidates as well. “”.

By referring to Mr. Mamdani, a democratic socialist who is 33 years old, as “my little communist,” the president implied that he was already considering the power he could wield over him in his capacity as mayor.

Mr. Trump stated, “He must travel to Washington in order to obtain money.”.

He also disparaged Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and Mr. Dot Cuomo. Known for saving cats, he claimed that Mr. Dot Sliwa was “not exactly prime time” and would attempt to pack Gracie Mansion with “thousands of cats.”. “”.

Along with others who have claimed that the former governor’s policies cost lives, he accused Mr. Dot Cuomo of botching the COVID response in state nursing homes during the pandemic. That claim has been vehemently denied by Mr. Dot Cuomo.

“His actions regarding the nursing homes were absolutely appalling,” Mr. Trump stated.

A week or so prior to the president’s gloomy tone, Mr. Trump’s close associates were still talking about the prospect of at least one candidate, Mayor Eric Adams, leaving the race by accepting a job offer. An ambassadorship to Saudi Arabia was the primary option discussed, according to The New York Times.

Mr. Trump stated in public at the time that he would prefer to see Mr. Mamdani and Mr. Cuomo, a more moderate Democrat he has known for decades, compete one against the other. Nevertheless, Mr. Cuomo’s campaign this year has not impressed those in Mr. Trump’s inner circle.

The mayor, who is running on a third-party line like Mr. Dot Cuomo, has less chance of winning a job now that the private talks have been made public, according to people familiar with the situation.

According to the same individuals, the president does not currently see a realistic scenario in which the field would be cleared, but they did warn that the president could still change course again. Mr. Dot Sliwa, who finished third in a recent New York Times/Siena poll with 15% of the vote, has been especially determined to remain in the race.

This week’s poll was one of several that showed Mr. Mamdani leading a four-way race, but they also hinted that if Mr. Adams and Mr. Sliwa abstained, the race might become closer.

Conservative talk radio host Sid Rosenberg, who hosted Mr. Trump on his show earlier this week, stated, “I think he’s resigned to the fact that Mamdani is going to win.”. Trump, he’s not a moron. “.”.

Mr. The president still had “some hope,” according to Rosenberg, that Mr. Dot Cuomo could improve his standing in the polls, but “he has given up on Eric Adams.”. “”.

Earlier this year, the Justice Department dropped the corruption charges against the mayor after he courted the president. Even though it hurt Mr. Adams’s chances of winning a seat in his hometown, where Democrats outnumber Republicans six to one and Mr. Trump is still unpopular, the action guaranteed his freedom.

While neither Mr. Cuomo nor Mr. Sliwa specifically named Mr. Trump in their statements, they both responded to his criticisms on Friday. A spokesperson for Mr. Dot Cuomo, Rich Azzopardi, insisted that his nursing home policy had complied with federal regulations. He cited a Justice Department inspector general report that revealed elements of an investigation into the matter had been politicized by Trump administration officials.

For a while, it appeared as though Mr. Trump, who established his reputation and company in New York City, had the political clout and drive to make an impact on the election.

There was always a conflict between the president’s allies and advisers.

National Republicans who thought Mr. Mamdani’s left-leaning politics were a gift for their attempt to win the midterm elections next year were among those who opposed Mr. Trump’s intervention. Local party leaders in New York joined them; they are fiercely loyal to Mr. Sliwa and despise Mr. Cuomo.

In Queens, where Mr. Trump was raised, Republican Party chairman Tony Nunziato stated, “Trump should just stay out of it.”. Since Trump lost and they don’t like him, he will essentially curse whoever he supports. “”.

Some of the president’s closest friends in New York, on the other hand, responded to Mr. Mamdani’s victory over Mr. Cuomo in the June Democratic primary with a certain amount of fear, if not panic. For a while, Mr. Trump’s personal preferences were more in line with those of his friends than with those of his political allies.

Mr. Mamdani’s overtly leftist platform, which includes raising taxes on the wealthy, a history of harshly criticizing the police, and long-standing criticism of Israel, has alarmed many in the business and real estate community.

Some have pledged to defeat him by flooding super PACs with millions of dollars.

The world’s financial capital could be turned over to a socialist this November if we don’t mobilize, according to an email sent this week by a number of affluent businessmen, including Jeff Blau, CEO of Related Companies. Our goal is to prevent that from occurring. “”.

Steve Witkoff, a close advisor to Mr. Trump and a billionaire real estate investor in New York, was notably in charge of the negotiations to try to craft a Trump administration position for Mr. Adams.

Mr. Trump had seemed receptive to the idea, but it seems that plan has been abandoned.

When asked by a reporter last week if he wants Mr. Adams to halt his reelection campaign, Mr. Trump responded, “I would like to see two people drop out and have it be one-on-one.”. In my opinion, that is a race. “”.

A connection between the president and Mr. Cuomo stems from their shared Queens heritage and overlapping family histories. However, they also fought during the Covid pandemic and Mr. Cuomo’s tenure in the Clinton administration, when he was governor and Mr. Trump was president.