Trump As Foil Disappears From Andrew Cuomo's Rebooted New York Mayoral Bid

Andrew Cuomo framed himself arsenic President Donald Trump’s foil during nan Democratic mayoral superior successful New York City, adamant that his past grounds opinionated up to Trump arsenic politician positioned him arsenic nan party's champion prime to take sides nan metropolis during Trump’s 2nd term.

But arsenic nan erstwhile politician reboots his run for a third-party wide predetermination bid, aft losing nan Democratic superior to authorities Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, Trump is taking a backmost seat.

In astir a half-dozen interviews conducted successful his first fewer days arsenic a wide predetermination candidate, Cuomo has hardly referenced Trump, pivoting questions astir nan president backmost to nan title astatine hand.

Instead, Cuomo and his run are framing him arsenic much concerned astir argumentation and campaigning crossed New York City — aft disapproval that his superior run was excessively closed disconnected to nan media and that his force drew his spot from gathering voters wherever they are, some physically and connected cardinal issues for illustration affordability.

With 16 weeks to spell until Election Day, Cuomo is making it clear he wants to tally this title differently.

Cuomo framed nan Trump presidency arsenic a unsocial threat to New York City’s well-being during nan Democratic primary, pinch his run describing nan president arsenic “at nan city’s gates” in a run ad that highlighted Trump’s determination to telephone National Guard troops into California. He advertisement went connected to opportunity that “we request personification knowledgeable to slam them shut.”

Addressing a crowd astatine nan National Action Network. a group helped by civilian authorities activists and MSNBC big Rev. Al Sharpton, weeks earlier nan election, Cuomo deed Trump astatine nan apical of his remarks arsenic an “existential threat” who is “worse than he was successful his first term,” taking individual in installments for Trump ne'er sending national troops to nan metropolis successful 2020.

That connection was emblematic of 1 of nan cardinal points Cuomo deed connected nan stump and successful debates.

Then, erstwhile Cuomo announced plans to tally successful nan wide predetermination pinch a societal media video past week, Trump didn’t person a nonstop mention. A committedness to “take connected anyone who stands successful nan way” of nan city’s prosperity could person been a reference to nan president, but it could person besides been a cloaked onslaught astatine his wide predetermination rivals.

Trump virtually ne'er came up successful nan high-profile media interviews Cuomo did successful nan past week. When reporters referenced Trump’s caller comments astir nan title (he said Cuomo should “stay in” because he has a “good shot” astatine winning), Cuomo utilized nan comments to knock his mayoral opponents, pinch a little activity astatine nan anti-Trump connection he put astatine nan halfway of nan run during nan primary.

“We person a agelong history together, nan president and myself, we person a batch of backmost and forth. I conflict for New York against Washington, I fought for New York against President Trump,” Cuomo told WABC-TV of New York, framing Trump’s comments arsenic simply “his study of nan race.”

Most of Cuomo’s announcement video and interviews focused connected argumentation and strategy, dripping pinch implicit and definitive acknowledgments that he made mistakes during his superior run and won’t make them again.

Cuomo’s run did not respond to aggregate requests for remark connected nan alteration successful strategy.

“Unless you’ve been surviving nether a rock, you astir apt cognize that nan Democratic superior did not spell nan measurement I had hoped,” Cuomo says successful nan video, amid video of him shaking hands pinch group successful nan city.

Going connected to knock Mamdani’s “slick slogans, but nary existent solutions,” Cuomo says he’s focused connected a metropolis pinch “lower rent, safer streets, wherever buying your first location is erstwhile again possible, wherever kid attraction won’t bankrupt you.” And successful question and reply aft interview, Cuomo sounded proposals for issues specified arsenic lowering rent, building much housing, addressing nationalist proscription and different proposals wholly divided from nan authorities of clashing pinch nan Republican president.

The attraction connected argumentation comes aft galore Democrats in installments Mamdani’s accent connected nan rumor of affordability successful nan city, arsenic good arsenic his societal media and engagement strategy, for his upset triumph complete nan acold much established Cuomo.

In an question and reply pinch NY1, Cuomo sought to spell aft Mamdani’s perceived spot connected nan rumor of affordability by panning his solutions arsenic unrealistic.

“I work together pinch him connected nan problem — and by nan way, he didn’t fig retired nan problem,” Cuomo said, referencing nan quixotic 2010 gubernatorial run of Jimmy McMillian, who ran against Cuomo connected his slogan, “The rent is excessively damn high.”

And later, he responded to a mobility astir why he ignored nan informing signs of his run by admitting he “did not tally a bully campaign,” saying it was “uncharacteristic” of him to tally a “very non-aggressive campaign” considering really he’s been tagged arsenic “too aggressive, excessively difficult, excessively hostile” passim his profession because “all nan geniuses said I was measurement up for nan full campaign, truthful nan run played it safe.”

“There was nary inspiration to it, location wasn’t capable positivity to it. But nan run itself was conscionable not good, not bully successful aggressively communicating nan affirmative, aliases frankly, successful debunking nan simplicity of his solutions,” he said. “Three connection solutions are awesome connected societal media. Yeah, isolated from successful reality, they are each BS.”

Shedding nan anti-Trump messaging for a much policy-oriented 1 comes not conscionable aft a run Cuomo himself admitted was lacking, but it besides comes arsenic nan title opens up to nan wider New York City electorate facing a analyzable prime betwixt nan Democrat Mamdani, 2 independents successful Cuomo and Mayor Eric Adams (who dropped retired of nan Democratic primary aft nan Trump management dismissed national corruption charges he had been facing) and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.

Basil Smikle, a New York Democratic strategist who antecedently served arsenic nan executive head of nan authorities Democratic Party for a information of Cuomo's governorship and ran Ray McGuire's 2021 mayoral campaign, told NBC News that he understands "Cuomo's request to push Donald Trump to nan backmost burner and speak much positively astir himself and what he'll do for New York," peculiarly amid a request to bring retired "more blimpish voters who would travel retired successful a wide election."

But he warned that Cuomo's decades successful authorities will make it harder for him to reboot.

"Are you going to suffer much group than you summation by not attacking Trump, by trying to beryllium excessively tiny by half and say: 'I Want group to get to cognize [me] better?' We cognize you, we cognize you were governor, we cognize why you resigned. What is it astir Cuomo 2.0 that makes him a better, much relatable candidate?" Smikle said.

Sam Raskin, a New York Democratic strategist who worked for Democratic mayoral hopeful Scott Stringer successful nan primary, told NBC News that while some nan “text and subtext” of Cuomo’s motorboat video show that he recognizes he needs to embark connected a different strategy this time, that it remains to beryllium seen whether nan run addresses nan issues pinch nan “substance” too, because Mamdani didn’t conscionable link pinch voters because of his style.

“Cuomo is adjusting successful definite ways but I person yet to spot an wide imagination and an wide thought of what precisely Andrew Cuomo is going to do for New Yorkers and what precisely he is going to deliver," he said.

Mamdani and his run person responded to nan reset by accusing Cuomo and his run of imitation, needling his comments astir lodging affordability and arguing that voters won’t bargain immoderate reset.

“What we recovered is that New Yorkers knew those answers 3 weeks ago, they will cognize those answers successful November,” Mamdani said during a rally pinch a labour national soon aft Cuomo’s announcement, discussing pension issues, according to video from a New York Daily News newsman reposted connected societal media by nan candidate’s campaign.

The schedule demands of having to reboot nan run truthful quickly aft nan precocious June superior could besides beryllium an rumor for Cuomo, added Raskin, nan Democratic strategist.

"Not a batch of clip has passed betwixt predetermination night, erstwhile we saw him last, and nan caller and improved Andrew Cuomo retired connected nan street," he said.