Andrew Cuomo Claims Trump Will Take Over NYC If Mamdani Wins

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Thursday that President Donald Trump would intervene directly in New York City if Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani is elected mayor, predicting a federal response to what he characterized as dangerous policies, as reported by The New York Post.

Speaking at an event in Harlem, near the site where a 69-year-old woman was fatally struck by a stray bullet, Cuomo described Mamdani’s positions as a threat to public safety.

“President Trump will wind up being Mayor Trump if Mamdani is elected,” Cuomo said. The former governor is running as an independent in November after losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani.

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Cuomo argued that Trump would send federal forces into New York City if Mamdani prevailed, similar to Trump’s actions in Washington, D.C., during periods of unrest.

“I don’t even think he would wait for Mamdani to be inaugurated,” Cuomo warned.

“I think if Mamdani won the election, the next day I wouldn’t be surprised if you saw President Trump act.”

Cuomo said that if he were elected mayor, Trump would have “absolutely no rationale whatsoever” to deploy federal personnel.

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At the same time, Cuomo attempted to distance himself from criticism of New York’s 2019 bail reforms, which he signed into law and which opponents have linked to increases in repeat crime.

Cuomo claimed that state legislators denied his push to allow judges more discretion in holding defendants deemed dangerous. “I wanted to add in that first law – judicial discretion on dangerousness. The legislature wouldn’t agree to it at the time,” he said.

His comments came just days after President Trump signed an executive order seeking to roll back cashless bail policies nationwide.

The order directed that federal funding could be withheld from states and local governments that “substantially eliminated” bail, giving offenders the opportunity to reoffend.

Governor Kathy Hochul responded by saying New York does not have full cashless bail since violent crimes such as murder, rape, and robbery remain bail-eligible.

However, the 2019 reforms Cuomo signed into law eliminated bail for most misdemeanors and non-violent felonies.

Cuomo himself initially touted the change in his State of the State proposal, which stated, “Governor Cuomo is advancing legislation that will end cash bail once and for all.”

Although Cuomo now argues he sought to include “judicial discretion” in the measure, critics have pointed to his own public statements endorsing the original version. Adjustments in subsequent years have added limited discretion for judges.

The political clash unfolded as Mamdani joined Rev. Al Sharpton for a march on Wall Street protesting Trump administration policies. Cuomo and Mayor Eric Adams did not attend, a decision Mamdani’s campaign highlighted.

“It speaks volumes that Andrew Cuomo would politicize the tragic killing of a 69-year-old woman in East Harlem for his own personal gain,” Mamdani spokeswoman Dora Pekac said.

She added, “As for the authoritarianism coming out of Washington, everybody knows that unlike Zohran — who will protect New Yorkers — Donald Trump’s choice candidate for mayor Andrew Cuomo will only kowtow to his federal overreaches.”

Cuomo’s comments reflect his attempt to position himself as both an alternative to Mamdani and a check on Trump as the November election approaches.

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