Andrew Cuomo says Trump would knock Zohran Mamdani on his 'tuchus' if he becomes NYC mayor

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Former Governor Andrew Cuomo claimed that President Donald Trump would “knock” Democratic front-runner Zohran Mamdani “on his tuchus” if Mamdani were to become New York City’s next mayor.

Cuomo referred to Mamdani, 34, as a “kid”. When asked how he would handle working with Trump, Cuomo said the best way to deal with the “hyper-aggressive” president is to confront him directly.

The debate, which lasted 90 minutes, covered pressing issues such as housing, immigration, education, public safety, healthcare, transportation, policing, economic development, climate change, and city governance.

Andrew Cuomo criticizes Zohran Mamdani’s experience, claims Donald Trump would easily overpower him

Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent, dismissed socialist Zohran Mamdani as simply not ready for the job. “He thinks he’s a kid and he’s going to knock him on his tuchus,” Cuomo said. “It is a balance, but you’re going to have to be adversarial when you need to. But you want to cooperate to get good things done in this city, and you need federal help.”

With the election clock ticking, Cuomo repeatedly attacked Mamdani, criticizing his lack of experience to lead a city of nearly 9 million and to confront Trump, who has threatened to withhold federal funding if Mamdani wins.

Cuomo labeled Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, as offering “no new ideas” and being a “rehash” of Mayor Bill de Blasio, adding that he has “never run anything, managed anything, never had a real job.”

He aslo called Mamdani  “great actor” and a “divisive force in New York” who brings “toxic energy for New York.”

Zohran Mamdani hits back at Andrew Cuomo, calls him 'Trump’s puppet'

Zohran Mamdami didn't keep quiet. He gave back to Cuomo. “We heard from Donald Trump’s puppet himself, Andrew Cuomo,” Mamdani fumed. “You can turn on TV any day of the week, and you will hear Donald Trump share that his pick for mayor is Andrew Cuomo, and he wants Andrew Cuomo to be the mayor, not because it will be good for New Yorkers, but because it will be good for him.”

The Queens state assemblyman said he is willing to work with Trump on affordability issues but will push back on immigration crackdowns and other hot-button policies. 

Mamdani slammed Cuomo as someone who “will only speak of the past” and as a “desperate man lashing out because he knows that the one thing he’s always cared about, power, is now slipping away from him.”

The three leading candidates for mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo, and Curtis Sliwa, traded sharp exchanges during their final debate. The general election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 4, with early voting running from October 25 to November 2.