Hours before voting began in New York’s heated mayoral race on Monday, US President Donald Trump endorsed Andrew Cuomo and threatened to withdraw federal funds if Democrat Zoran Mamdani wins.
He hinted at this in a 60 Minutes interview with CBS News that aired Sunday, calling Mamdani a “communist” and saying it would be difficult for him to “donate a lot of money to New York” if he wins.
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Here’s what President Trump has threatened to do and what the Constitution says about the president’s power to withhold federal funds from states.
Who is leading in the polls in the New York mayoral race?
According to the latest RealClearPolitics average, Mamdani was leading with 46.1% of the vote when polling stations opened at 6 a.m. local time (11 p.m. Japan time) on Tuesday, holding a 14.3-point lead over independent Mr. Cuomo (31.8%) and a 29.8-point lead over Republican Curtis Sliwa (16.3%).
What did Trump threaten?
In a post on his Truth Social platform, President Trump wrote, “If communist candidate Zoran Mamdani wins the New York mayoral election, it is highly unlikely that I will donate the bare minimum federal funds to my beloved first homeland, because as a communist, there is zero chance that this once-great city will succeed or even survive!”
“It is my strong belief that if Mamdani wins, New York City will suffer an economic and social disaster.
“I would rather see a Democrat with a record of success win than a communist with no experience and a record of complete and utter failure,” he added.
In the post, Trump encouraged people to vote for Cuomo and discouraged them from voting for Sliwa. “Voting for Curtis Sliwa (who looks much better without a beret!) is the same as voting for Mamdani.”
Mr. Trump’s post echoed his feelings on CBS News, where he said Mr. Mamdani is unlikely to send money to New York if he wins. “As president, it would be difficult to give a lot of money to New York, because if communists were running New York, all you were doing was wasting the money you were sending there.”
Is Mamdani a communist?
Trump and other US Republicans have repeatedly called Mamdani a communist. Mamdani has described himself as a democratic socialist, and when asked on NBC’s Meet the Press in June if he was a communist, he answered, “No, I’m not.”
A Muslim U.S. citizen of Ugandan descent, Mamdani’s campaign focuses on making New York more affordable for residents, including by freezing rents, making universal childcare free and lowering public transportation costs. However, most people describe him as a socialist rather than a communist.
In June, PolitiFact also debunked claims that Mamdani is a communist. “Communism involves a centrally planned economy without market forces. Prices and quantities are set by central government authorities. There is no democratic political competition, instead a single political party rules the country. The president has not asked for any of that,” Anna Grzymala-Busse, a professor at Stanford University, told PolitiFact.
Even Cuomo said on Monday, “Mamdani is not a communist. He’s a socialist. But we don’t need a socialist mayor either.”
Who is Mr. Cuomo, the “bad Democrat” that President Trump is currently supporting?
Mr. Cuomo is an independent candidate who served as New York’s Democratic governor from 2011 to 2021 and as New York’s attorney general from 2007 to 2010.
He initially ran in the Democratic primary for mayor, but lost to Mamdani. Mr. Cuomo received 43.61% of the vote, while Mr. Mamdani received 56.39%.
The billionaire was plagued by sexual harassment allegations during his term as governor and was ultimately forced to resign.
In April, the New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB) found that Mr. Cuomo’s campaign had failed to provide evidence of digital donations, a requirement for eligibility for public funds. As a result, Cuomo’s campaign lost nearly $3 million in public funds.
And in May, the CFB fined the campaign $675,000 for “improper coordination” with a supporting super PAC.
How much does New York City really depend on federal funding?
The city will need $7.4 billion in federal funding in fiscal year 2026, according to the New York State Auditor’s Report, which analyzed the city’s federal funding released in April.
A report released April 28 showed federal funds accounted for 6.4% of total spending. The rest of the funding came from state taxes, fees and other revenues. State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli serves as New York State’s chief financial officer.
The city’s operating budget for fiscal year 2025 is $9.7 billion, which includes $1.1 billion in pandemic funds.
The report says the federal funding goes primarily to the city’s housing and social services agencies. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) was the largest non-pandemic federal fund in fiscal years 2025 and 2026.
What does the law say?
Under the U.S. Constitution, Congress, not the president, has the power to decide how federal funds are distributed to states.
Article 8, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution states that Congress may levy taxes and determine how the funds are used for the needs of the nation. Additionally, Article IX, Section 1 of the United States Constitution provides that “No funds shall be withdrawn from the Treasury as a result of expenditures made by law.”
If the President does not carry out federal funding decisions made by Congress, it is considered an unconstitutional act of “carceration” on the part of the President.
In 1974, the Internment Control Act (ICA) was passed after then-President Richard Nixon sought to withhold funds already approved by Congress. The ICA allows the president to withhold funds appropriated by Congress for 45 days, but any decision to withhold funds must be approved by Congress. So while the president has some discretion over federal funding, the final decision rests with Congress.
Congress is currently controlled by Republicans. Republicans hold 53 seats in the Senate, while Democrats hold 47. Republicans hold 220 seats in the House of Representatives, and Democrats hold 212.
Has the government already cut federal funding to New York?
The Trump administration is already trying to cut funding to the city under outgoing Democratic Mayor Eric Adams.
The Trump administration has withheld $12 million in federal funding that was supposed to go to the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), but the MTA was supposed to give to the New York City Police Department (NYPD) to fight subway terrorism.
The federal aid was canceled as part of a broader federal funding suspension announced in January.
On October 8, Mr. Adams announced that New York City is filing a motion in support of New York state’s lawsuit against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem aimed at blocking the revocation of that funding.
The New York State Comptroller’s Report also states that “New York City has already been notified of hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts or suspensions in federal funding this year and next, but the full impact of Washington’s recent actions is not yet known.”
The report added that on April 8, New York City was formally informed by the federal government that certain subsidies already legally awarded would be suspended, partially reduced, or completely terminated.
DiNapoli predicted that potential cuts to the city’s day-to-day operating budget could be $400 million in fiscal year 2025, $135 million in fiscal year 2026, or more. This is because his projections do not take into account further changes that may be made when the federal government determines its fiscal year 2026 budget.
