President Trump’s decision to wade into the New York City mayoral election betrays a complicated situation for the most powerful politician in the country, putting the Queens native’s political and personal interests at odds with each other.
Politically, allies argue it would be to Trump’s benefit to see democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani prevail in November and lead the nation’s largest city.
While New York’s politics are not representative of the entire country, Trump could easily elevate Mamdani on the midterm trail and portray him as a leading voice of a Democratic Party out of step with the nation.
But Trump does not appear entirely sold on the idea of a Mamdani victory, and some allies warned a win by the leftist candidate could change the game on what kinds of policies voters will accept in a candidate.
Trump in recent days has called for other candidates to drop out of the race and create a one-on-one showdown between Mamdani and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D).
“I think we have to be careful what we wish for,” one Republican strategist told The Hill.
“Is it good for the president to have a foil? Yes, of course. He is at his best when he has an opponent,” the strategist said. “But it’s still the largest city in the country, and having a mayor that is this far out of step with our worldview is troubling and a problem.”
Trump has attacked Mamdani repeatedly since he won the Democratic primary in June. Polls have shown Mamdani’s affordability platform has won over voters in New York.
The president has frequently derided Mamdani as a “communist.” He’s threatened to investigate his immigration status, though Mamdani legally moved to the U.S. as a child. And the president has threatened to withhold federal funding for New York City if Mamdani wins and carries out policies the White House disagrees with.
In a nod to his concerns about what a Mamdani win would mean for the city, the president has called for two candidates to drop out to consolidate the vote against the Democratic nominee.
Trump has suggested Cuomo has the best chance to defeat Mamdani, with the implication that incumbent Mayor Eric Adams (D) and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa should be the ones to quit the race.
A New York Times/Siena College poll released Tuesday showed 46 percent of likely voters said they would vote for Mamdani, giving him a 22-point lead over Cuomo in the current four-way race. If the field were narrowed to just Mamdani and Cuomo, however, Mamdani led Cuomo 48 percent to 44 percent.
“Now if you had two people drop out, could somebody win? The answer is maybe. But even that’s going to be a little bit of a long shot, I guess, if you believe the polls,” Trump told New York City radio host Sid Rosenberg on Tuesday.
White House officials have reportedly spoken to both Adams and Sliwa about finding roles for them within the administration as an incentive to suspend their campaigns. Trump has denied speaking to Adams or offering him an ambassadorship, and he has said he does not know Sliwa.
It’s a move sources said is driven by Trump’s fondness and concern for the city, despite his bitter recent history with his hometown.
“It may be an arctic blue stronghold, but it’s showing you how much he cares about the city,” one Trump ally told The Hill. “Most people would be like, ‘It is what it is.’ But this is a case where he cares about the future of the city.”
Neither Adams nor Sliwa has publicly indicated they are ready to end their mayoral bids.
And many Trump allies don’t think a Mamdani win would hurt Trump politically.
“For the sake of New York City, you absolutely do not want this to happen. But for the Republican Party, what a foil this would be,” Kayleigh McEnany, a former Trump spokesperson, said on Fox News.
McEnany and others have made the case that if Mamdani is elected, Trump and Republicans can make the argument on the midterm campaign trail that he is representative of the type of far-left policies Democrats support.
One GOP strategist told The Hill a Mamdani victory could lead to primary wins for more progressive Democrats in congressional races next year.
Many prominent New York Democrats have been reluctant to endorse Mamdani, a sign that some in the party are concerned about being associated with a self-described democratic socialist.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has yet to endorse Mamdani. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters he spoke with Mamdani on Monday, but stopped short of endorsing him in the mayoral race.
Trump has a complicated relationship with New York City, where he grew up and built his real estate brand. He launched his 2016 presidential campaign at Trump Tower in Manhattan.
But as the deeply Democratic city turned against him and his policies, Trump distanced himself. The president changed his official residence to Florida in 2019.
The bitterness escalated in 2023, when Trump was indicted in New York on charges related to a hush money scheme and later hit with a massive fraud lawsuit by state Attorney General Letitia James (D). Trump in 2024 was found guilty on all counts in the hush money case. An appeals court has since thrown out a massive financial penalty in the fraud case.
Still, Trump is headed to New York City on Thursday for the second time in less than a week. He attended Sunday’s men’s U.S. Open tennis final, and he will be in attendance for Thursday night’s Yankees game on the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
“The president is a New Yorker at heart,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday. “He loves the city very much. It is his home.”