President Donald Trump gave his latest assessment of the New York City mayoral race on Tuesday, describing Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa’s chances as slim and suggesting he would prefer a Democrat over what he called a “Communist” in charge of the city, as reported [1] by The New York Post.
Speaking to reporters from the Oval Office, Trump addressed the three-way race between Democrat Zohran Mamdani, former Governor Andrew Cuomo — now running as an independent — and Republican candidate Sliwa.
“If [Sliwa] dropped out, he’s not going to win — and not looking too good for Cuomo either,” Trump said.
Trump continued, “But maybe, I don’t know, if he dropped out, maybe Cuomo would have a little bit of a chance, but not much, because it looks like the lead is, it’s not a great lead, but it’s big enough that he should be able to win.”
Recent polling shows Democratic Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani leading the race with 43.2% support. Cuomo trails at 28.9%, while Sliwa stands at 19.4%.
Analysts have noted that if Sliwa exited the race, Cuomo would narrow the gap to just four points — within the survey’s margin of error — making the contest significantly tighter.
Sliwa, known for founding the Guardian Angels and wearing his signature red beret, has faced increasing pressure from some Republican and independent voters to suspend his campaign to allow opposition votes to consolidate behind Cuomo.
Despite that pressure, Sliwa has vowed to remain in the race until Election Day.
“I’m not dropping out. I’m staying in this fight for New York,” Sliwa said during a campaign stop earlier this week.
Trump, who has not issued a formal endorsement in the race, used the moment to take aim at Mamdani, referring to the Democratic frontrunner as a “Communist.”
“So I don’t know that I want to get involved. It’s really a question of, would I rather have a Democrat or a Communist? And I would rather have a Democrat than a Communist if he dropped it,” Trump said.
Trump says Curtis Sliwa is “not going to win.”
“If he dropped out, maybe Cuomo would have a little bit of a chance… it’s really a question of would I rather have a Democrat or a communist — and I would rather have a Democrat than a communist.”@CurtisSliwa [2] should drop out. pic.twitter.com/LvJiz3VB3A [3]
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) October 21, 2025 [4]
The New York City mayoral election is scheduled for November 5. Early voting begins this weekend.
Cuomo’s independent bid marks his first campaign since resigning as governor in 2021.
Mamdani, who represents a progressive district in Queens, has campaigned on expanding housing programs and increasing city oversight of law enforcement, positions that have drawn sharp criticism from Republicans and centrist Democrats alike.
Sliwa’s platform has focused heavily on public safety, crime prevention, and opposition to sanctuary city policies. He has repeatedly argued that the city’s leadership needs to “put New Yorkers first again.”
With less than two weeks remaining, the contest remains volatile, with Trump’s remarks adding new attention to a race already marked by party divides and shifting alliances.