Andrew Cuomo on Thursday denied speaking with President Donald Trump or seeking his help in the upcoming New York City mayoral election a day after a New York Times report said the two men had spoken on the phone.
“That’s false,” Cuomo told reporters at a press conference in Manhattan.
But the former New York governor also pressed his case, both at the press conference and at a closed-door gathering a day earlier, that he would be better suited than Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani to deal with the Republican president, a native New Yorker closely attuned to his hometown’s politics but also someone who is broadly disliked by the city’s Democrats.
“My knowledge gives me an ability to be in a formidable position as an opponent for the president but also, at the same time, I would try to work with the president where we could,” Cuomo told reporters.
Cuomo, now running as an independent, said he had not reached out to the president since a gunman attempted to assassinate Trump at a Pennsylvania rally last year. He said he would decline Trump’s endorsement if the president were to weigh in on the race.
“I can’t remember the last time I spoke to President Trump,” Cuomo said.
“I did call and leave word after the assassination attempt, just expressing concern, I left word. I didn’t speak to him at that time,” he added. “I’ve never spoken to him about the mayor’s race.”
Cuomo’s tone adjustment on how he would handle Trump if elected mayor was also on display during a meeting with the city’s business leaders on Wednesday, according to two people in attendance who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door meeting.
The meeting, which was organized by the Partnership for New York, a nonprofit group which represents the city’s corporate interests, was attended by approximately 50 business executives gathered at an office in Rockefeller Center.
While addressing them, Cuomo described his relationship with Trump as a “dysfunctional marriage,” telling the group he was not looking for a fight with the president.
A key part of Cuomo’s strategy: He needs to court business leaders and high-powered donors who fear Mamdani’s potential mayoralty and his proposal to tax the city’s wealthiest residents.
But despite a slight tilt to the right in the 2024 presidential election, New Yorkers still strongly disfavor Trump. The prospect of Cuomo seeking his support in November’s election – or accepting his help in pushing out or suppressing the support of Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa or incumbent Mayor Eric Adams – could potentially drive supporters away from him even if they’re uncomfortable with Mamdani.
Mamdani accuses Cuomo and Trump of ‘conspiring’
Mamdani seized the opportunity to connect Cuomo to Trump and the city’s most powerful elite on Thursday, holding a press conference in front of the federal building in Lower Manhattan where dozens of asylum seekers and migrants are routinely being taken into custody by masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who now patrol the hallways of immigration court.
“My administration would be Donald Trump’s worst nightmare,” Mamdani said flanked by members of 1199SEIU, the healthcare workers union that has endorsed his campaign. “Former Gov. Cuomo has been conspiring with President Trump, about the fate of this city, about the future of this city, about the facts of this race.”
NYC Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks during a press conference outside of the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building on August 7 in New York City. – Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Cuomo, who resigned from office in 2021 after being accused of sexual harassment by state employees, has a difficult balance to strike when it comes to Trump.
Cuomo has denied the sexual harassment accusations, which came shortly after he gained national attention during the Covid-19 pandemic when he emerged as a foil to Trump and his handling of the pandemic. Now, he is arguing he is both the best candidate to fend off Trump’s attacks on New York City while simultaneously saying he would work with him to benefit New York.
“Nobody has had more contentious relationships with President Trump than I have.” Cuomo told reporters. “But at the same time he could be very, very helpful to New York City.”
He argued a Mamdani victory would help the president and Republicans who argue Democrats have moved too far to the left. And he suggested Trump would consider a federal takeover of New York City were Mamdani to win.
“I think it would be like Los Angeles on steroids,” Cuomo said in reference to Trump’s recent deployment of the National Guard to that city and high-visibility immigration raids. “I think the President would like to have control of New York City. Why does he want control of New York City? Because he’s from New York City.”
Mamdani, who said he has not spoken to Trump, dismissed concerns that his candidacy would make the city a target for the president. He said he would be willing to speak to him if the administration would benefit New Yorkers.
“What I will not do, however, is pick up the phone to call Donald Trump to ask how he could work together to defeat the will of Democrats across this city,” Mamdani said, describing Cuomo as a “jester” trying to audition to be a king.
Republican Joe Borelli, a former member of the New York City Council who represented parts of Staten Island where Trump counts supporters, said Trump’s potential involvement in the race only stands to benefit Mamdani.
“Two-thirds of city voters are registered Democrats, one-fifth are Republicans. I am confident that team Mamdani is hoping Trump makes an endorsement,” Borelli told CNN.
But Borelli also argued a Mamdani victory stands to benefit Trump.
“Cuomo is spot on about Mamdani being a gift to the GOP,” Borelli said. “He will be the bogeyman on every midterm congressional midterm, the scare-quote in every TV ad.”
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