WATCH: The Cringeworthy Moment a Candidate Played with His ‘Trumpy Bear’ Live During NY Mayoral Debate

Yes, there are Republicans running for mayor of New York City, and yes, one of them played with a “Trumpy Bear” during a live televised debate while deriding his opponent’s choice and quantity of pets.

NY 1 hosted the two Republican candidates — Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa and Fernando Mateo, co-founder of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers — for a debate this week, and it was exactly the sort of debate you might expect under such circumstances.

But things got truly weird toward the end, as moderator Errol Louis conducted a lightning round of questions.

As he responded to a question about his favorite and least-favorite subway lines, Mateo could be seen reaching offscreen for a mysterious prop, which he then deployed while answering an unrelated question.

“And by the way, I have my Trumpy Bear here,” Mateo said, holding up the plush toy likeness of former President Donald Trump, then added, apropos of nothing, “which I know Curtis Sliwa has 13 cats, he has 13 cats, I have a Trumpy Bear, okay?”

Mateo then made a series of vocalizations as he manipulated the Trumpy Bear’s arms in a punching motion.

Seconds later, Mateo took another shot at Sliwa’s pets, saying, of his opponent’s desire to see Hamilton, “He should be able to go anywhere he wants, he lives in a 320 square foot apartment with 13 cats. The litter boxes are costing him more than the rent.”

According to Sliwa, he cares for 15 rescue cats, not 13.

Watch above via C-Span.