'A little bit of lead': Donald Trump says Zohran Mamdani likely to be next mayor; denies meddling

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that Democrat Zohran Mamdani is likely to become New York City's next mayor unless two of his three major rivals drop out. However, the Republican leader declined to name which candidates he thought should quit.

Speaking at a White House dinner with tech executives, Trump denied urging anyone to exit the race but suggested the crowded field benefits Mamdani. "I don't think you can win unless you have one-on-one, and somehow he's gotten a little bit of a lead," Trump said. "I would like to see two people drop out and have it be one-on-one, and I think that's a race that could be won."


Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist, became the presumptive frontrunner after defeating former governor Andrew Cuomo in June's Democratic primary. But both Cuomo and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams remain on the ballot as independents, joined by Republican Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels.

Behind the scenes, Trump allies have floated scenarios for narrowing the race. Intermediaries recently reached out to Adams' circle about the possibility of him dropping his campaign for a federal role, according to people familiar with the talks, AP reported. Adams, indicted last year on corruption charges before prosecutors dropped the case, has said he will not leave the race. "No pressure, no diamonds," Adams said Thursday.

Cuomo has openly called for Adams to quit, arguing that Mamdani poses "an existential threat" to Democrats. Sliwa, meanwhile, rejected speculation that Adams' voters would automatically migrate to Cuomo and insisted he is staying in the race. "I can assure you for the 9,852th time: I'm not dropping out. I'm in it until November 4," Sliwa said.

Meanwhile, Mamdani threw down a challenge to Trump, daring him to face off in a televised debate. This came after Cuomo urged him to take part in five debates, one in each borough.

"Let's cut out the middle man," Mamdani told The New York Post. "Why should I debate Donald Trump's puppet when I could debate Donald Trump himself?"

"If Donald Trump is serious about intervening in the mayoral race, he should come to New York City and debate me directly about why he's cutting SNAP benefits for hungry New Yorkers to give tax breaks to his wealthy donors," Mamdani told New York Post.