Democrat mayoral nominee and frontrunner Zohran Mamdani on Thursday seized on a report that his independent rival Andrew Cuomo recently spoke to President Trump about the race over the phone, charging the pair have been “conspiring about the fate of this city.”
Mamdani made the accusations standing side-by-side with union members supporting his campaign during an Aug. 7 press conference at 26 Federal Plaza. The building has played host to daily detentions of undocumented immigrants by Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
The event came on the heels of a Wednesday evening New York Times report that, citing unnamed sources, revealed a previously unknown recent phone call between Trump and Cuomo, the Democratic former governor, in which they spoke about the mayor’s race. Both Trump and Cuomo have disputed that the call took place.
Mamdani — a Queens Assembly member — cast Cuomo’s alleged confab with Trump as part of an attempt to undermine his own nearly 13-point Democratic primary victory over the former governor. He further contended that Cuomo has “very little regard” for the Democratic Party or the democratic process.
“[Cuomo] would rather look past having been beaten by close to 13 points by a campaign that amassed more votes than any Democratic primary winner in New York City history, to the extent that he would actually have a conversation with the very president who is stealing food from the hungry, who is throwing New Yorkers and Americans from coast to coast off of their health care,” Mamdani said. He was referencing the steep cuts to food assistance and health care included in Trump’s recently passed “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
Mamdani was joined by leaders and members of the New York State Nurses Association, 32BJ SEIU, and 1199 SEIU. The latter two backed Cuomo in the primary, but have since pivoted to support Mamdani in the general election instead.
The lawmaker said the reported call shows that Cuomo “will sell working people out” for his own interests, Trump’s, and those of billionaires — who boosted his primary campaign with boatloads of cash.
“All of those interests are lining up as one and the same,” Mamdani said. “It is time for us to say enough. It is time for us to make clear that what this city deserves is a mayor who, when he sees Donald Trump attacking the people of this city, will stand up and fight back against that vision, will not get on the phone with the architect of that vision.”
Cuomo rebuffs Trump call allegations: ‘That’s false’
During his own Thursday afternoon news conference, Cuomo denied ever speaking to Trump about the race, saying, “That’s false.”
The former governor claimed that the last time he attempted to, and may have, spoken with Trump was when he called him after an assassin tried to kill him last year.
“I can’t remember the last time that I spoke to President Trump,” Cuomo told reporters. “I’ve never spoken to him about the mayor’s race.”
Cuomo’s denial on Thursday was more fierce than that provided by his spokesperson, Rich Azzopardi, on Wednesday, claiming they had not “spoken in a while” without clarifying when.
Trump himself denied that the call took place to reporters in Washington, DC on Wednesday night.
Cuomo also sought to clarify how he would approach Trump as mayor, following a Thursday afternoon report from The Times that he told city business leaders he does not “personally” want to fight Trump.
He said he would defend the city “100% with everything I have learned and know” from Trump’s attacks, referencing his many battles with Trump as governor. But he said he would also “try to work with Trump where I could.”
“Defend anything that offends New York values,” Cuomo said. “But if you can find a way to work together and help New York City, then you work together.”
The former governor also argued he is the “last person” Trump would want as mayor in the five-way general election.
Cuomo said Trump wants to keep incumbent Mayor Adams in power because Adams is a “wholly-owned subsidiary” of Trump, presumably referring to the alleged quid pro quo between the pair. Meanwhile, he said Trump may prefer Mamdani — a democratic socialist — as a political punching bag for the Republican Party.
“If he put Adams in control, why wouldn’t he want to keep Adams in control,” Cuomo said. “Or I could see him saying I want the Assemblyman to win because I could make a lot of points with him politically as evidence that the Democratic Party has lost its mind…I think I have the least to offer.”
Or, Cuomo said, Trump may want Curtis Sliwa — the Republican nominee — to win, so he could work with a mayor from his own party.
Mamdani said during his own event on Thursday by arguing that his administration will be “Donald Trump’s worst nightmare.” He said Trump’s threats to denaturalize his citizenship status and deport him are clear examples that the president is fearful of him becoming mayor.
“Those are the actions of a president who is afraid of the fact that I will actually deliver in a manner where he has simply betrayed,” Mamdani said. “That is what we have to look at to understand that our campaign represents our city’s best chance at not only fighting back against authoritarianism, but understanding that democracy is also under attack from within.”
