Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo believes President Donald Trump “wants control of New York” and that he will continue to assert influence in the city’s operations.
Cuomo is running for mayor of New York City against incumbent Eric Adams, running as an independent, and myriad progressive Democratic challengers.
“Donald Trump wanted to retain control of the mayor,” Cuomo said in a Daily Beast podcast interview released Thursday, responding to a question about the alleged “quid pro quo” between the Adams administration and the federal government.
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“Because I think Donald Trump wants control of New York. Because he is a New Yorker. He wants New York back. He wants acceptance in New York. He felt rejected by New York,” he added. “He is not done vindicating himself in New York, and we have not seen the last of Donald Trump’s intervention in New York — that, I promise you.”
The Trump administration allegedly dropped its case against Adams in exchange for immigration favors, sparking accusations of a quid pro quo. The federal government also has intervened in the city’s transit system, at one point canceling congestion pricing and recently taking over the renovation of Penn Station.
Cuomo launched his mayoral bid in March and is widely considered the front-runner in the city’s mayoral race, despite a determined opposition that has picked away at him on his sexual harassment allegations and nursing home scandal.
State Assemblyman and socialist Zohran Mamdani appears to be Cuomo’s top competition. A poll displayed that Cuomo would beat Mamdani 34% to 16% when voters were asked about their first choice in a ranked-choice voting setting. Cuomo beat Mamdani in the ninth round of voting, 64% to 36%.
Cuomo said he knows how to work with Trump from his time as governor and is aware of the president’s forward attack style. “Trump is old school Queens, Brooklyn,” he said. “He puts his finger in your chest. And if you step back, you’re going to be continuing to step back for the rest of the relationship.”
The longtime New York Democrat also commented on his former brother-in-law via his ex-wife Kerry Kennedy, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The secretary has been under considerable heat for his recent remarks on autism.
“He is — I obviously know him very well, for 15 years, even more,” he said. “He is the uncle to my daughters. And this has gotten very complicated within the family, as you know. So I try to stay out of it in general. Do I think his perspectives on health and human services are problematic? Certainly, yes.”
Cuomo said standout progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) appear to have “seized the anti-Trump moment” amid their countrywide tour.
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He thinks that Democrats are afraid of Trump.
“And that they have seized effectively,” he added. “And the Democratic Party is outraged at Trump. And there is a lot of anger. And frankly, there’s more fear than anger. It’s more fear. The fear comes first. And then the anger. Major law firms buckle to his absurd demands, right? So that’s created a fear. And I think they capitalize on that fear.”
