U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend a private dinner for technology and business leaders in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 4, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
President Donald Trump all but confirmed his well-reported plot to interfere in the New York City mayoral race on Thursday evening, reported Politico's Emily Ngo.
Asked by reporters whether he is working on making a candidate withdraw from the race, Trump said, "No, I don't like to see a communist become mayor. I won't tell you that. And I don't think you can win, unless you have one on one." His remarks appeared to reference Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, a young Muslim with ties to the Democratic Socialists of America, and his main challenger, disgraced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who lost the Democratic primary to Mamdani earlier this year but is still running in the general election under a separate ballot line.
"I would like to see two people drop out and have it be one on one," Trump continued. "And I think that's a race."
This follows reporting that Trump is considering extending an offer of a position in his administration to incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is running far behind either Mamdani or Cuomo, to make him end his campaign. It also comes after Adams reportedly met with a Trump adviser in Miami, despite his public denials that he is considering any such offer.
Also potentially in contention for a job offer to exit the race is the Republican nominee, Curtis Sliwa.
Trump has repeatedly attacked Mamdani since his victory in the race, calling him a "Communist Lunatic" and even suggesting at one point that he would use his executive power to somehow overturn the election result.