New York City mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani said he will not debate rival Andrew Cuomo; however, he would like to debate President Donald Trump.

Cuomo, the former New York governor who was defeated by Mamdani in a Democratic primary, is running as an independent, as is Mayor Eric Adams. Curtis Sliwa is the GOP nominee in the overwhelmingly Democratic city.

Cuomo on Thursday said Mamdani should debate him, while other candidates should drop out, according to CBS.

“I challenge him to five debates, one in every borough, where we speak about the issues in that borough,” Cuomo said. “Show up. Tell New Yorkers who you are and what you really believe once and for all.”

Mamdani rejected the challenge.

“Let’s cut out the middle man. Why should I debate Donald Trump’s puppet when I can debate Donald Trump himself,” he said.

“If Donald Trump is serious about this, he should come to New York City, and we can have as many debates as you want about why he is cutting SNAP benefits for hungry New Yorkers just to fund tax cuts for his billionaire donors,” Mamdani continued.

Cuomo said Mamdani is trying to hide.

“Mr. Mamdani’s fear is a one-on-one race with me. Why? Because the majority of New Yorkers oppose him and the only way he wins is by splitting that vote. And I’m telling you, the more New Yorkers find out who he is, the less support he’s going to have,” Cuomo said.

Cuomo said Mamdani will win if voters who do not want him in office split their votes among three candidates.

“If you’re not the strongest candidate, step aside,” Cuomo said. “It makes sense that when you get to a point when you can determine who is the strongest candidate, the other candidates defer to the stronger candidate.”

Trump wants the campaign to be a one-on-one race, billionaire businessman John Catsimatidis said, according to the New York Post. Catsimatidis claimed he spoke with Trump on Sunday.

“He is concerned about the New York City race. He does not want a socialist mayor, and he said, ‘It’s not going to happen’ under his watch,” Catsimatidis said, adding, “At the end of the next 10 days, he wants the most qualified candidate to beat Mamdani.”

Trump later said, “I don’t like to see a communist become mayor.”

“I don’t think you can win, unless you have one-on-one,” he said, adding, “I would like to see two people drop out and have it be one-on-one. And I think that’s a race.”

Prominent Democratic fundraiser Bill Ackman, who has supported Adams, now says it is time for Adams to quit the race, according to the New York Post.

“It is time for Mayor Adams to step aside,” he wrote, according to a post on X.

“Eric’s polls have deteriorated substantially since the primary, and it has become increasingly clear that he does not have a chance to beat @ZohranKMamdani,” he wrote.

“This is the most consequential NYC mayoral election in many decades. Electing an anti-business, Socialist, mayor who supports terrorism as a means of ‘resistance’ would be catastrophic for New York and our country. I understand Zohran’s appeal, particularly to young people. He is young and charismatic. He has nice sounding ideas. Who doesn’t want lower rents, cheaper food and free transportation?

“But unfortunately, socialism will not take us to the promised land, let alone allow Zohran to deliver on his campaign promises. Ask Cubans, Venezuelans, and those who lived in the former Soviet Union what life is like in a Socialist country. They will tell you that the promised land is a wasteland,” the post continued.

Cuomo, he said, “is an experienced leader that cares deeply about our city who has the relevant experience and skills necessary to lead and greatly improve NYC. Andrew had major accomplishments as our governor.”

“He also made some mistakes. I am a huge believer in backing leaders who have learned from their mistakes and have something to prove. Andrew is extremely motivated to help our city. He can win in a two-horse race with Adams’ help,” he wrote.

“Mayor Adams, it is time for you to play a critical role in NYC’s future by gracefully stepping aside to enable Andrew to win. We will all be eternally grateful. We have only 60 days until the election, and only 50 before early voting begins. The time is now.”

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