Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo challenged Zohran Mamdani to several debates across New York City on Thursday, but Mamdani countered with a proposal to debate Donald Trump instead. (Getty Images)
"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."
The back-and-forth between Cuomo and Mamadani comes amid speculation that President Donald Trump is weighing whether to offer jobs in his administration to incumbent NYC Mayor Eric Adams and the GOP candidate for NYC mayor, Curtis Sliwa. The move to offer the two candidates a job is reportedly a bid to clear the field for Cuomo, multiple sources with intimate knowledge about the matter have said.
The former governor indicated during his Thursday press conference that he was aware of media reports about Trump possibly offering his NYC mayoral opponents jobs, subsequently clearing the field for him, but added that he has "no idea" if the reports are accurate. Cuomo said he has not spoken to either Mayor Eric Adams or President Trump about the matter.
"I know nothing about that speculation," Cuomo told reporters Thursday about the matter. His campaign did not respond to requests for comment.
New York City mayoral candidates from left to right: Zohran Mamdani, Eric Adams, Andrew Cuomo, Curtis Sliwa. (Getty Images)
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However, the proposal has been rejected by Adams and Sliwa suggested to Fox News Digital Thursday that Cuomo and Adams are not even the main front-runners who New Yorkers want to win.
"This is a race between the two major party nominees, myself and Mamdani, and New Yorkers know I’m the only one with the experience and grit to take him on," Sliwa told Fox News Digital. "I’m running to save New York City from decline and give working people the future they deserve."
Speaking specifically to Mamdani's response to Cuomo's debate challenge, Sliwa added that Mamdani "is desperate to distract from his own radical agenda, so he hides behind cheap theatrics."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/zohran-mamdani-levels-counter-proposal-after-cuomo-challenges-him-debates-all-5-nyc-boroughs