Trump Reportedly Considering ‘Clearing the Field’ In NYC Mayoral Race For Cuomo
(AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
President Donald Trump is considering giving New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) a position in his administration as a way of “clearing the field” for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) to have a better shot at beating frontrunner Zohran Mamdani in the NYC mayoral race, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.
The report, based on three sources, said advisors to the president believe this could be a way to “damage the chances” Mamdani ends up running The Big Apple. Trump’s team is also looking at giving Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa a role in the White House as part of its plan to make it a one-on-one match between Cuomo and Mamdani.
“The discussions within Mr. Trump’s orbit about making a potentially audacious intervention date back weeks — and it is unclear if they will ultimately amount to anything,” The Times added. “But the topic has taken on added urgency in New York in recent days as an already chaotic race steams into the last stretch of the campaign season.”
While the Republican-Democrat combo of Trump and Adams may seem like an odd pairing at first glance, the president has had some nice things to say about the mayor in the past. Last year, at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally, the president said Adams has been “really great” to him.
“He said that ‘They shouldn’t be calling Trump a dictator. Because it’s not true.’ That’s nice. That was nice. Very nice,” Trump said. “So we want to thank Mayor Adams.”
President Trump also said, in September 2024, that he had predicted Adams would be indicted on fraud charges because he had dared to side with Trump on illegal immigration. Adams, for his part, has been complimentary towards the president as well, and said earlier this year that he had a “productive” conversation with Trump in the days leading up to his inauguration. Trump’s DOJ later moved to drop the corruption charges against Adams, which led to several high-profile resignations and accusations that Adams and the Trump DOJ engaged in a “quid pro quo” — including from the judge who dismissed the charges.
As for whether the plan to boost Cuomo’s odds would actually work, one new survey of likely voters found the ex-Governor would beat Mamdani 52% to 41% in a head-to-head matchup. Mamdani is currently lapping the competition with 42% support among the five-person field, which also includes independent candidate Tricia Walden.
And in related news, The Times was roasted over the weekend for a story claiming Mamdani — a self-identified Democratic Socialist — is not an actual socialist.
