Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic candidate in the New York City mayoral race, has made a bold comparison, equating a vote for Andrew Cuomo to casting a ballot for President Trump.

“Donald Trump has hand-picked his candidate. That candidate’s name is Andrew Cuomo,” Mamdani told MSNBC’s Ari Melber in an interview that aired Monday. “And New Yorkers have the chance to hand pick their fighter. And I believe that candidate should be me.”

As the city prepares for Tuesday’s general election, Mamdani is leading the race against both Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa. According to a recent poll conducted by Emerson College in partnership with PIX11 and The Hill, Mamdani commands 50% support from New York City voters. Cuomo trails with 25%, Sliwa follows with 21%, and 4% of respondents remain undecided.

In a previous poll released in September by the same organizations, Mamdani held a substantial 15-point advantage over Cuomo, whom he defeated in the Democratic primary earlier this year, and a 33-point lead over Sliwa.

Despite Sliwa being the Republican nominee, President Trump has thrown his support behind Cuomo in recent days.

On Monday evening, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to criticize Mamdani, labeling him a “communist” and threatening to limit federal funding to New York City to the bare minimum required. Trump went on to suggest that voting for Sliwa essentially aids Mamdani and urged city residents to support Cuomo, regardless of personal feelings towards him.

Trump also indicated to CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell on Friday that he would vote for Cuomo over Mamdani. 

“I’m not a fan of Cuomo one way or the other, but if it’s going to be between a bad Democrat and a communist, I’m gonna pick the bad Democrat all the time, to be honest with you,” Trump said, in an interview that aired Sunday on “60 Minutes.”

Mamdani sarcastically congratulated Cuomo on the social platform X after the interview aired, saying, “I know how hard you worked for” the president’s endorsement.