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Democrat Mayoral Candidate Challenges President Trump To Televised Debate
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani challenged President Trump to a televised debate.
The Democratic front-runner’s challenge follows former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s call for Mamdani to debate him five times.
Cuomo, who’s running as an independent candidate, challenged Mamdani to a debate in each of the five boroughs.
“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?” he added.
Zohran Mamdani challenges President Trump to public debate: ‘Let’s cut out the middle man’ https://t.co/9YrifM1Wrd pic.twitter.com/hXsjSzYUsP
— New York Post (@nypost) September 4, 2025
More from the New York Post:
Mamdani, who beat Cuomo in the June Democratic primary, accused Trump of trying to meddle in the election, rehashing claims that the two men had talked over the phone about the mayoral race.
Sources also said Wednesday that White House officials were mulling possible job offers in the administration for Mayor Eric Adams and GOP nominee Curtis Sliwa in an effort to get them to drop out.
That would arguably give Cuomo, the highest-polling contender after Mamdani, a leg up to beat the far-left lawmaker in the crowded November contest.
“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,” said the DSA candidate.
“My opponents are *still* competing for love from Trump and the billionaires. And I’m going to let them fight it out at whatever unofficial debates pop up this month. We’re bringing this campaign to you,” Mamdani said.
My opponents are *still* competing for love from Trump and the billionaires.
And I’m going to let them fight it out at whatever unofficial debates pop up this month.
We’re bringing this campaign to you. pic.twitter.com/p9BMJtQAm7
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) September 3, 2025
“Fact check on @ZohranKMamdani: WPIX and CBS had mayoral debates planned in mid-September. The invitations are in writing. The dates were scheduled. This all got locked in after the Democratic primary. That is why, in a social media post, I said I’d be at 4 debates: these two and the 2 October dates from the CFB debates. I immediately accepted the WPIX and CBS invitations. Mamdani’s team accepted. @andrewcuomo and @CurtisSliwa did too. Not sure about @NYCMayor,” said independent candidate Jim Walden, who suspended his campaign.
“Mamdani then backed out—just this week (Tuesday), after weeks of being coy with his final confirmation. He can clarify if he wishes. So, someone should interrogate his misleading post below. It is spin. He is now doing precisely what he accused Cuomo of doing during primary season. Can the non-Mamdani candidates clarify if they have different information? This is the kind of nonsense that drove me crazy about politics: if he made a tactical decision to skip the debates, fine. Keep your mouth shut. Or own it. Don’t just lie about it,” he continued.
Fact check on @ZohranKMamdani: WPIX and CBS had mayoral debates planned in mid-September. The invitations are in writing. The dates were scheduled. This all got locked in after the Democratic primary. That is why, in a social media post, I said I’d be at 4 debates: these two… https://t.co/E9i8hJTHXP
— Jim Walden (@JimWalden_esq) September 3, 2025
Cuomo supported the idea of New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa dropping out of the race.
“If you’re not the strongest candidate, step aside,” Cuomo said, according to CBS News.
Cuomo says his campaign has not communicated with Trump officials. He said the decision for Adams to drop out is up to him. pic.twitter.com/eRbWUX5a03
— Elizabeth Kim (@lizkimtweets) September 4, 2025
CBS News provided further info:
He believes he has the best chance to win head-to-head against Mamdani in the general election, despite losing the Democratic primary by 13 points.
“Mr. Mamdani is not supported by the majority of New Yorkers,” Cuomo continued. “There have been 4,782 polls taken in this race, metaphorically. Every poll shows he’s at about 40%.”
Cuomo said he would never accept an endorsement from Mr. Trump and that he had nothing to do with the administration’s reported interest in the mayor’s race.
It seems unlikely that Adams and Sliwa are even ready to call it quits.
Adams campaign spokesperson Todd Shapiro said in a statement, “Andrew Cuomo already spent $25 million in the primary and still lost by double digits. If polls told the true story, he would be on the Democratic ballot today. It’s time for him to step aside. Mayor Adams is focused on delivering for New Yorkers and remains the strongest candidate to defeat Zohran Mamdani in November.”
Sliwa has said he is not dropping out under any circumstance.
“You can’t bribe me. You can’t lease me. You can’t rent me. You can’t motivate me to leave this race,” the Guardian Angels founder said. “I am running as the Republican candidate, a major party candidate, with down-ballot candidates running for other offices. I have a responsibility to them, to my supporters who have now given me $4 million to invest in the rest of the campaign.”
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