Trump backs long-time rival Cuomo for NYC Mayor with threat against ‘communist’ Mamdani: Live updates

Trump says he’s ‘much better-looking’ than Zohran Mamdani

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Donald Trump has thrown his weight behind Andrew Cuomo’s bid for the New York Mayoralty and has branded the race’s frontrunner Zohran Mamdani as a “communist,” as America heads to the polls for three major elections.

“Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, before telling 60 Minutes that he could pull funding for New York if Mamdani wins.

“Donald Trump is threatened by our campaign,” Mamdani fired back on CNN. “He’s threatened by it because, like his, we’ve diagnosed the crisis in working-class New Yorkers’ lives, the cost of living, but unlike him, we’re actually going to deliver on that.”

Meanwhile, gubernatorial races are unfolding in two key states, New Jersey and Virginia, which could indicate which way the Democrats should turn in the midterms.

The Virginia race will see a pro-Trump candidate, Winsome Earle-Sears, going head-to-head with a center-left candidate, Abigail Spanberger. That center-left strategy enabled the Democrats to win big in 2018, but is a marked difference from Mamdani’s New York campaign.

The New Jersey race has been overshadowed by threats from Trump, who said that “election monitors” will be stationed at polling sites, in a move which the Democrats have branded as voter intimidation.

Which races to watch ahead of Election Day

There are several high-profile races to look out for as we head into Election Day on Tuesday.

New York City’s mayoral race

• Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani is facing off against former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.
• Mamdani is leading in the polls with 43.9 percent of voter support in a new Atlas Intel poll. Cuomo is trailing with 39.4 percent, followed by Sliwa with 15.5 percent.

Virginia’s gubernatorial race

• Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, a Republican, is running against former Democratic congresswoman Abigail Spanberger in the governor’s race.
• Spanberger is leading in the polls with 54 percent of voter support in a new Research Co. poll, compared to Earle-Sears’ 46 percent.

New Jersey’s gubernatorial race

• Former state legislator Jack Ciattarelli is the Republican choice in New Jersey, up against Democratic Representative Mikie Sherrill.
• New Jersey’s gubernatorial race is closer than Virginia’s. In the same Research Co. poll, Sherrill leads Ciattarelli by just three percentage points, 51 to 48 percent.

California’s ballot measure

• Californians will vote on whether they want to change the blue state’s congressional district maps in response to Texas’ redistricting in favor of Republicans.

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Rachel Dobkin4 November 2025 02:50

ICYMI: Trump takes swipe at Mamdani’s appearance

Journalist Norah O’Donnell began to ask Trump about the race, describing Mamdani as a Democratic socialist, when the president interrupted: “Communist. Not socialist, communist. He’s far worse than a socialist.”

“Some people have compared him to a left-wing version of you: charismatic, breaking the old rules. What do you think about that?” O’Donnell pressed.

The president replied: “Well, I think I’m a much better-looking person than him. Right?”

Read more from Kelly Rissman:

Rachel Dobkin4 November 2025 08:30

When will New Yorkers find out who has won the NYC mayoral race?

Either Andrew Cuomo, Zohran Mamdani or Curtis Sliwa will become mayor (AP)

The nailbiting final day of the race for New York Mayor is upon us, and millions of people living in and around the city are eager to know whether Andrew Cuomo, Zohran Mamdani or Curtis Sliwa will win the election.

So when will the results come out?

Polls will finally close at 9pm E.T, but all votes will need to be counted in order to ensure that the election is both free and fair.

During the last mayoral election, the count ended in Queens at 12:25 a.m. ET when 90% of the votes had come in and the winner had become clear.

Hopefully, that means New Yorkers will find out who their new mayor is this evening, although some vote counts have been known to take longer.

Owen Scott4 November 2025 08:12

Watch: Curtis Sliwa responds to question about regrets if he loses NYC mayoral race to Mamdani

Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa has responded to a question about regrets if he loses New York City’s mayoral race to Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani.

CNN’s Kasie Hunt asked Sliwa Monday afternoon, “If Mamdani’s elected and…he does run the city as a communist, are you going to have any regrets?”

“Why should I have regrets?” Sliwa said.

Mamdani identifies as a Democratic socialist, not a communist, as President Donald Trump has claimed.

Rachel Dobkin4 November 2025 08:00

What does Mamdani actually want to do, if elected mayor?

Mamdani is running on a platform of rent freezes and higher taxes on big businesses (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

Donald Trump has continually claimed that Zohran Mamdani is a “communist” and a “radical.” But what does the mayoral candidate actually want to do if he wins?

Mamdani says that he wants to make New York City, which is one of the most expensive cities in the world, more affordable.

To do that, he wants to freeze rent on certain homes as well as bringing NYC’s corporate tax rate in line with New Jersey’s.

With the money he raises from that scheme, Mamdani plans to open government owned grocery stores and to make bus travel in the city free.

The Democratic candidate has also vowed to build more housing and warned Donald Trump that, if he wants to deploy the National Guard in New York, he will “have to get through me.”

Owen Scott4 November 2025 07:55

‘She’s out’: Nancy Pelosi expected to quit politics after California votes on redistricting this week: report

“I think she’s preparing to exit the stage,” a House Democratic leadership aide told the outlet. “We will not fully appreciate the time we have spent with her.”

“I wish she would stay for 10 more years,” a House Democrat added in an interview with NBC. “I think she’s out. She’s going to go out with Prop 50 overwhelmingly passing, and what a crowning achievement for her to do that.”

Read more from Josh Marcus:

Rachel Dobkin4 November 2025 07:30

MAGA conspiracy theorist and Trump influencer Laura Loomer now credentialed to ‘cover’ the Pentagon after media purge: report

Laura Loomer, a right-wing political influencer known for her Islamophobic positions and fierce online attacks on figures seen as insufficiently loyal to President Donald Trump, has reportedly been credentialed to cover the Pentagon.

The Independent has contacted the Pentagon and Loomer for comment.

The new media policy bans reporters from soliciting any information from military officials without prior authorization from the Pentagon, and nearly every American news organization – including Trump-friendly networks such as Fox News and Newsmax — has rejected it.

Read more from Josh Marcus:

Rachel Dobkin4 November 2025 07:00

Watch: New York Democrat defends decision to endorse Andrew Cuomo

Rachel Dobkin4 November 2025 06:30

Watch: Stephen Miller says New Yorkers need to ‘unite’ behind Cuomo

White House official Stephen Miller has called on New Yorkers to “unite” behind former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo so he can beat Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee in New York City’s mayoral race.

Rachel Dobkin4 November 2025 05:30

Watch: Mamdani reacts to Trump backing Cuomo

Rachel Dobkin4 November 2025 05:00

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