Andrew Cuomo’s jab at Zohran Mamdani backfires as rival fundraises off his campaign relaunch video

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: After suffering a bruising Democratic primary loss, Andrew Cuomo announced an independent bid for New York City mayor in his “comeback” ad, taking a subtle dig at Zohran Mamdani.

However, the 67-year-old former New York governor’s diss at Mamdani backfired spectacularly, as Mamdani smartly capitalized on the moment by raising funds off Cuomo’s campaign relaunch video.

Andrew Cuomo's attempt to mock Zohran Mamdani goes wrong

On Tuesday, June 15, Andrew Cuomo announced his independent run for New York City mayor in a social media post featuring images of him speaking with people on city streets, seemingly mimicking Zohran Mamdani’s popular short-form videos engaging with New Yorkers.

“Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know that the Democratic primary did not go the way I had hoped,” Cuomo said in a video posted on X.

“But as my grandfather used to say: When you get knocked down, learn your lesson and pick yourself back up and get in the game. And that is what I am going to do. The fight to save our city isn’t over,” he added.

The former New York governor then took a direct jab at Mamdani, who had shocked many by defeating him in the Democratic primary earlier this year.

“Only 13 percent of New Yorkers voted in the June primary. The general election is in November, and I am in it to win it. My opponent, Mr Mamdani, offers slick slogans, but no real solutions,” Cuomo asserted

But Mamdani barely blinked. Instead, he dropped a donation link to his campaign directly in Cuomo’s comment section, and promptly ratioed the post.

Mamdani’s reply racked up 38,000 likes and 3,000 reposts within hours, while Cuomo’s video drew only 1,500 reposts and 1,100 likes.

In another post, Mamdani mocked Cuomo’s campaign video as a knockoff of his own. “We got him making man-on-the-street videos with a guy in Carhartt. By next week, he’ll be sipping adeni chai and eating khaliat al nahl,” he wrote. 

Internet laughs as Zohran Mamdani defuses Andrew Cuomo’s dig

Internet users enjoyed every second as Zohran Mamdani effortlessly defused Andrew Cuomo’s dig. “Cuomo claims to hate socialism, but keeps getting publicly owned. Sad,” one user mocked.

“You’re a goat banger,” a second user praised Mamdani. “Lolllll unreal ratio,” added a third, along with an image from Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance where he dissed rival Drake.

“Just sitting here watching this ratio climb for the last 5 minutes. First moments of peace I've known in ages,” a fourth user wrote.

“This is hilarious xD you have my vote,” a fifth asserted, while a sixth added, “Lmao the ratio is crazy. Bro just earned my vote based on the sheer audacity.”

“Bro owned him without saying a word,” another user hailed.

One more chimed in, “As you perfectly put it, you got KO’d. Learn the hard lesson and don't waste the money on an already lost campaign. Just donate it to needy New Yorkers and do one last good thing. Just look at the ratio here and be realistic.”

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