Hours before polls opened in the heated New York mayoral race on Monday, United States President Donald Trump backed Andrew Cuomo and threatened to pull federal funds if Democrat Zohran Mamdani won.He had earlier hinted at this during his 60 Minutes interview on CBS News which aired on Sunday, when he called Mamdani a “communist” and said if he wins, it would be hard “to give a lot of money to New York”.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listHere is what Trump has threatened, and what the constitution says about the president’s power to withhold federal funds from individual states.Who is leading the polls in the New York mayoral election?According to the latest RealClearPolitics average, Mamdani was ahead with 46.1 percent of the vote, holding a 14.3-point advantage over independent Cuomo, at 31.8 percent, and a 29.8-point lead over Republican Curtis Sliwa, at 16.3 percent, as polling booths opened at 6am local time (11:00 GMT) on Tuesday.What has Trump threatened?In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: “If Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the Election for Mayor of New York City, it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home, because of the fact that, as a Communist, this once great City has ZERO chance of success, or even survival!“It is my strong conviction that New York City will be a Complete and Total Economic and Social Disaster should Mamdani win.“I would much rather see a Democrat, who has had a Record of Success, WIN, than a Communist with no experience and a Record of COMPLETE AND TOTAL FAILURE,” he added. Advertisement In the post, Trump encouraged voting for Cuomo and discouraged voting for Sliwa. “A vote for Curtis Sliwa (who looks much better without the beret!) is a vote for Mamdani.”Trump’s post echoed his sentiments on CBS News, when he said he is unlikely to send money to New York should Mamdani win. “It’s gonna be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to Ne …
