ICYMI: Andrew M. Cuomo Joins CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer
“Mamdani is dangerously inexperienced. He’s a two-term assemblyman who passed only three bills and had the worst attendance record in the legislature. Trump would go right through him like a knife through butter.” - Andrew Cuomo
Watch the full interview here
Earlier today, Andrew M. Cuomo, candidate for Mayor of New York City appeared on CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer. The full transcript of the interview can be found below:
Wolf Blitzer:
“Cuomo might have a chance of winning,” that’s what President Trump says about the mayoral race in his birthplace of New York City—that is, if Cuomo is the only candidate facing off against Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani in November. The current mayor, Eric Adams, and Republican Curtis Sliwa are also in the race. Joining us now, New York’s former Democratic governor and the current independent mayoral candidate, Andrew Cuomo. Governor, thanks so much for joining us.
You argue that, “Trump and Mamdani share the same tactic: inflame and polarize, then declare moderation betrayal.”You also caution that “far-left extremism is not a corrective to Trump’s far right,” in a new opinion piece for the New York Daily News. If you believe Mamdani is so similar to President Trump, why did Mamdani defeat you by nearly 13 percentage points in the June Democratic primary?
Andrew Cuomo:
Yeah, thank you. Good to be with you, Wolf. Well, we had a Democratic primary, which tends to be a smaller number of people who come out. And there was a very large turnout of young socialists. Mamdani is a socialist, and the Democratic Socialists nationwide focused on the New York City mayoral. They sent in tens of thousands of people to work on his campaign, and you had an historic turnout of young people who were socialists that distorted the normal turnout.
But now you’re in a general election. You’ll have more moderate Democrats, independents, Republicans, and a larger turnout. And it’s going to be different, because he really is an extremist. We talk about the far right all the time—well, you have a far left in the Democratic Party. It has been getting stronger. They call themselves socialists, and this is really the socialists trying to take over the Democratic Party.
I’m a Democrat, and he’s a socialist. And the socialists believe a much different gospel. He’s anti-business. He believes government should control the means of production. Anti-police. Believes police should be disbanded, that they are racists. He wants to legalize prostitution, legalize the drug trade, abolish jails. That’s just not where New Yorkers are. We are the business capital of the nation, and we want jobs and opportunity coming to New York. He is in the wrong place with his social doctrine.
Wolf Blitzer:
There’s been a lot of speculation the current mayor, Eric Adams, would leave the race, potentially to take a job in the Trump administration, allowing anti-Mamdani voters to unite behind you. Mayor Adams, at a news conference, denied he’s dropping out and mentioned you by name. Let’s listen.
Clip of Eric Adams:
“Andrew Cuomo is a snake and a liar. I am in this race, and I’m the only one that can beat Mamdani.”
Wolf Blitzer:
What’s your response to Mayor Adams?
Andrew Cuomo:
Look, desperate people say desperate things. I believe he may take a job with President Trump. He’s an ally of President Trump. Trump basically kept Adams out of jail, if you remember, Wolf. Might he give him a job in the administration so Adams has an honorable exit? That could happen.
But I believe Republicans overall want Mamdani to win. If Mamdani wins, Republicans will use him against Democrats all across the country. They’ll say: These are the Democrats. They’ve been taken over by socialists. They’re anti-police. They’re anti-public safety.
Mamdani is 33 years old. He’s never had a real job. His first job would be mayor of New York. Imagine that level of inexperience. I believe Republicans will make him the poster child for what has happened to the Democratic Party. You could lose Congress seats in New York. You could lose the governor’s office if Mamdani is mayor.
Wolf Blitzer:
Mamdani recently called you Donald Trump’s puppet. Trump had this to say about the race.
Clip of Trump:
“If you have more than one candidate running against him, it can’t be won. If you have one candidate, if he’s the right candidate, Cuomo might have a chance of winning.”
Wolf Blitzer:
The President appears to be at least passively supporting you. Do you want his support?
Andrew Cuomo:
What the President is saying is what the polls say—one on one, I beat Mamdani handily. I haven’t sought President Trump’s support, and I wouldn’t accept it. And as you know, Wolf, I think I’m probably the person who has fought with President Trump the most. I don’t think any governor in the nation had more hostile encounters with Trump than I did. You covered many of them.
When I was governor, he was president, and during COVID we had Battle Royales. He sent the National Guard into 20 cities—never into New York, because I stopped him.
Mamdani would be his dream as mayor, because Trump would just bigfoot him like he has in cities across the country. Mamdani is a stooge for Trump. Trump would love to be president and mayor at the same time—it would be his dream come true.
Wolf Blitzer:
Do you worry that Trump’s repeated attacks on Mamdani could elevate him, energize Democrats, and hurt your chances?
Andrew Cuomo:
No. Democrats are energized. But they want someone who can defend them against Trump. I am that person, because I’ve done it—repeatedly—during the hardest time in our state’s history.
I know what the federal government can do. I was HUD Secretary, I worked in the White House, I was attorney general, I was governor. I can go toe to toe with President Trump. Mamdani is dangerously inexperienced. He never managed more than five people. He’s a two-term assemblyman who passed three bills. He had the worst attendance record in the legislature. Trump would go right through him like a knife through butter.
Wolf Blitzer:
The former governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, thanks so much for joining us.
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