President Donald Trump, aiming to defeat Democratic Party nominee Zohran Mamdani in New York City's high-profile mayoral election, is urging rival candidates to drop out.
"I don't think you can win unless you have one on one," Trump told reporters before a White House dinner with leading tech industry executives on Thursday night.
Mamdani, the 33-year-old Ugandan-born socialist state lawmaker from the New York City borough of Queens, who has gained notoriety for his history of communist and antisemitic rhetoric, shocked the political world in June as he defeated former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and nine other candidates by double-digits to capture the Democratic Party's mayoral nomination.
Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 amid multiple scandals, is running in the general election as an independent candidate. So is Mayor Eric Adams, the embattled incumbent who announced earlier this year that he would bypass the Democratic primary amid plummeting approval ratings.
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Also on the ballot is Guardian Angels co-founder Curtis Sliwa, who for a second straight election is the Republican mayoral nominee.
But Mamdani is the clear polling frontrunner in a city where Democrats dominate the political landscape. And a victory in November would make him the first Muslim and first millennial mayor of the nation's most populous city.
Mamdani surged to a primary victory thanks to an energetic campaign that put a major focus on affordability and New York City's high cost of living. It was fueled by a grassroots army of supporters and backing from top national progressive champions, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
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And Mamdani made smart use of social media platforms, including TikTok, as he engaged low-propensity voters. His far-left proposals include eliminating fares to ride New York City's vast bus system, making CUNY (City University of New York) "tuition-free," freezing rents on municipal housing, offering "free childcare" for children up to age 5 and setting up government-run grocery stores.
Trump, a native New Yorker who nowadays calls Florida home, once again weighed in on the race, saying, "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."
The president also reiterated his claim that Mamdani is a communist.
"I'd prefer not to have a communist mayor of New York City. And, you know, that's what he is based on his policy. If you look at his statements in the past," Trump said.
Trump did not say which candidates he would like to see drop out. And asked by reporters if he's encouraged any of the mayoral contenders to exit the race, Trump said, "No."
Top Trump advisors are trying to persuade Adams and Sliwa to drop out of the race by offering them positions in the president's administration, the New York Times reported this week.
And the New York Post reported that Trump wants the candidates to bow out by next week.
The New York Times and New York Post have also reported that Adams has told a small group of friends and advisers that he is considering job opportunities that would prompt him to suspend his mayoral re-election campaign.
And both newspapers also reported that while in Florida on Tuesday, Adams met with top Trump envoy and advisor Steve Witkoff.
But the mayor and his campaign publicly reiterate that he's not exiting the race.
"Not dropping out," Adams campaign spokesperson Todd Shapiro told Fox News' Henry Naccari.
On Friday, Adams doubled down, saying in a statement, "I am still running for re-election."
But in what appeared to be an acknowledgment of the reported job offer in the Trump administration, the mayor wrote, "While I will always listen if called to serve our country, no formal offers have been made."
Sliwa emphasized in a Fox News Digital interview last month: "I'm not dropping out. I'm a major party candidate. Let the independents play musical chairs and decide who to drop out."
He has reiterated in recent days that he's not dropping out and has said that he has no interest in working in the Trump administration.
Cuomo, speaking with reporters on Thursday, said he had "no idea" whether the reports on Trump trying to clear the field for him were accurate, and he said he hadn't spoken to Trump or Adams.
"I know nothing about that speculation," the former governor said.
Trump's comments on the mayoral race came hours after Cuomo challenged Mamdani to five different debates across all five New York City buroughs.
Cuomo argued that Mamdani had failed "to give a straight answer" to reporters' questions and had changed his mind "on everything" he has said on the campaign trail.
"When you try to ask [Mamdani] a question, he will simply not answer, and he obfuscates. And, frankly, you guys let him get away with it," Cuomo said. "I won't let him get away with it. And New Yorkers won't let him get away with it."
But Mamdani shot back with a proposal of his own: debate Trump.
"Let’s cut out the middle man. Why should I debate Donald Trump’s puppet when I could debate Donald Trump himself?" Mamdani's campaign told Fox News Digital in a statement. "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."
Meanwhile, in a sign of its fundraising prowess and grassroots strength, the Mamdani campaign on Friday announced that it had officially reached New York City’s $8 million spending cap, and said it would urge supporters to stop donating.
Fox News' Courtney De George contributed to this report.
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