Donald Trump has boasted that he is “much better-looking” than Zohran Mamdani, the young Democratic frontrunner for New York City mayor.
Trump, 79, made the bold claim during a 60 Minutes interview that aired on CBS on Sunday, where he also called Mamdani “a communist” and warned that he may reduce funding to New York if Mamdani wins Tuesday’s election.
It was Trump’s first appearance on the program since he secured a $16 million payment from CBS to settle a $20 billion lawsuit over the editing of an interview with Kamala Harris he complained had encouraged viewers to vote Democrat.
During the 60 Minutes interview with Norah O’Donnell, she asked the president for his thoughts on this week’s mayoral election.
Trump claimed that Mamdani, 34, was “a communist, not a socialist. He’s far worse than a socialist.”
O’Donnell then flattered Trump by claiming, “Some people have compared (Mamdani) to a left-wing version of you: charismatic, breaking the old rules. What do you think about that?”
Trump replied, “Well, I think I’m a much better-looking person than him, right?”
O’Donnell did not react to Trump’s response.
Mamdani’s campaign has been notable for the grassroots collective Hot Girls for Zohran, which has helped him appeal to younger voters. The group’s Instagram page, which has 14,000 followers, says: “You’re voting for Zohran Mamdani? That’s hot.”
One supporter of independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, who was beaten by Mamdani in the Democratic primary, has now copied the concept, with MAGA influencer Emily Austin launching Hot Girls for Cuomo.
The latest Atlas poll before Tuesday’s election had Mamdani in the lead with 41 percent of the vote, Cuomo at 34 percent, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa at 24 percent.
If he wins, Mamdani would become New York’s first Muslim and Indian American mayor. Describing himself as a Democratic Socialist, Mamdani has been praised by Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, and Bernie Sanders.
The 34-year-old, who was born in Uganda, told a New York crowd on the weekend, “We stand on the precipice of taking this city back from corrupt politicians and the billionaires that fund them… New York is not for sale”.
During the 60 Minutes interview, the president was asked what would happen if Mamdani wins the election—prompting Trump to slam Democrat Bill de Blasio, who was New York’s mayor between 2014 and 2021.
“I say (Joe) Biden was the worst president, de Blasio was the worst mayor in history,” Trump said, adding that Mamdani could “make de Blasio look one of our great mayors.”
“And it’s gonna be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York,” he added.
“Because if you have a communist running New York, all you’re doing is wasting the money you’re sending there. I’m not a fan of (Andrew) Cuomo… but if it’s gonna be between a bad Democrat and a communist, I’m gonna pick the bad Democrat all the time, to be honest with you.”
Trump has been pushing the ‘communist’ line for months.
In July, he called Mamdani “a total nutjob.”
“I think the people in New York are crazy if they go this route, I think they’re crazy,” Trump said. “We will have a communist in the for the first time, really a pure, true communist. He wants to operate the grocery stores. The department stores. What about the people that are there? I think it’s crazy.”
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