After weeks of discussions among his advisers, allies and donors about how he could intervene in the race for New York City mayor, President Trump appears increasingly resigned to a potential victory by Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee.

In an appearance on “Fox and Friends” in New York on Friday morning, the president said that former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo could still have a path to defeat Mr. Mamdani if two other candidates dropped out, but he bemoaned the quality of Mr. Mamdani’s opponents.‌

“I’m not looking at the polls too carefully, but it would look like he’s going to win,” Mr. Trump, a Republican, said of Mr. Mamdani. “And that’s a rebellion. It’s also a rebellion against bad candidates.”

The president called Mr. Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist, “my little communist,” and suggested he was already thinking about the leverage he could exert over him as mayor.

“He has to come to Washington for money,” Mr. Trump said.

He also took swipes at Mr. Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee. He said Mr. Sliwa, who is known for rescuing cats, was “not exactly prime time” and would try to fill Gracie Mansion with “thousands of cats.”

He accused Mr. Cuomo of bungling the covid response in state nursing homes during the pandemic, joining those who have said the former governor’s policies cost lives. Mr. Cuomo has strongly rejected that assertion, and insists he was following federal guidance.