Hochul issues warning over Trump admin meddling in NYC mayoral race

President Trump should stay out of the New York City mayoral race, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday, responding to reports White House advisers are weighing a possible job offer to get Eric Adams to drop his re-election bid.

The deal, which could involve an ambassadorship, according to sources, would give the mayor an opportunity to ditch his seemingly doomed campaign, narrowing the field to bolster ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s chances of topping Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani.

“Contrary to what the president thinks, he’s not a king, he’s not a kingmaker, and he should not be anointing the next mayor of New York City,” Hochul told reporters after an unrelated announcement on Long Island.

Without naming her predecessor, Hochul suggested Cuomo should “not be accepting” assistance from Trump.

“There will be a sense that people are compromised if they’re getting the road cleared because of who the president wants as the next mayor that he believes he can control, clearly that’s why he’s doing it. I have to stand up against that,” Hochul said.

Cuomo told reporters on Thursday that he didn’t want Trump’s help.

“I don’t want him involved in the race,” Cuomo said.

GOP mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa, who has also reportedly been pressured to exit the race, has refused to entertain the idea.

The remarks Friday are some of the strongest comments Hochul has made about the race to date.

The governor, who is up for re-election herself next year, has so far refused to endorse in the crowded race, even after Mamdani secured the Democratic nomination in June.

Other prominent New York Democrats such as Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) have stirred up anger from the party’s left for not endorsing Mamdani, the clear frontrunner in the race.