On the eve of Election Day in America’s most dynamic metropolis, President Donald J. Trump delivered a pragmatic gut punch to the radical left’s ambitions, throwing his weight—however grudgingly—behind Andrew Cuomo to stave off what he rightly calls a “communist” takeover of New York City. In a blistering Truth Social post Monday evening, Trump urged voters to rally around the former governor, framing the choice as a no-brainer: Back the battle-tested Democrat or watch socialist Zohran Mamdani dismantle the Empire State from City Hall. “Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job,” Trump declared. “He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!”

This eleventh-hour intervention isn’t blind loyalty—it’s the mark of a leader prioritizing results over ideology. Trump, a Queens native with deep roots in the city, knows the stakes: Mamdani’s democratic socialist fever dreams threaten to turn the Big Apple into a West Coast knockoff of San Francisco’s tent-city nightmare. Polls show Mamdani clinging to a narrow lead—46% to Cuomo’s 33% and Republican Curtis Sliwa’s 15%, per Quinnipiac—but record early voting (over 735,000 ballots, a fourfold surge from 2021) signals a turnout battle Trump aims to tip. With five million registered voters hitting the polls today—post offices, banks, and shipping humming along as usual—Trump’s endorsement could be the firewall New York needs to avoid fiscal Armageddon.

Trump’s backing, previewed in a Sunday 60 Minutes interview, drips with the candor only he can muster: “I’m not a fan of Cuomo one way or the other, but if it’s gonna be between a bad Democrat and a Communist, I’m gonna pick the bad Democrat all the time.” It’s classic Trump—blunt, unfiltered, and laser-focused on winning. Cuomo, the ex-governor who clashed with Trump over COVID policies yet delivered infrastructure wins and economic growth, emerges as the adult in the room. Mamdani? The 34-year-old assemblyman, poised to be NYC’s first Muslim mayor and youngest in over a century, peddles rent freezes, free buses, and “equity” schemes that gut gifted programs and embolden criminals.

Cuomo, running as an independent after Mamdani’s stunning June primary upset, welcomed the nod with characteristic steel: “He’s not endorsing me. He’s opposing Mamdani.” During a WABC radio call-in, he pivoted: “The president is right. A vote for Sliwa is a vote for Mamdani.” Trump echoed that, dismissing Sliwa (sans beret quip) as a spoiler: “A vote for Curtis Sliwa… is a vote for Mamdani.” Even Trump’s deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, piled on via X: Support Cuomo to block the “lunatic.” And Elon Musk, no stranger to Cuomo’s 2014 Buffalo solar deal (despite its job shortfalls), chimed in: “VOTE CUOMO!”—a rare tech titan-Trump alignment against the socialist surge.

From a conservative perspective, this cross-aisle calculus is genius. Cuomo’s record—building affordable housing as HUD secretary, navigating the pandemic (despite nursing home scrutiny he calls politicized smears)—positions him as the firewall against Mamdani’s de Blasio 2.0. Trump nailed it on 60 Minutes: Mamdani would make “de Blasio look great.” The self-described “Scandinavian politician, only browner” rejects the communist label but embraces policies that scream big-government overreach: Arresting Netanyahu, defunding cops, and redistributing wealth from hardworking New Yorkers to the grievance industry.

Trump’s endorsement came laced with a signature threat: Slash federal aid to NYC if Mamdani prevails. “It is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required,” he posted, echoing Sunday’s 60 Minutes vow: “It’s gonna be hard for me… to give a lot of money to New York. Because if you have a communist running New York, all you’re doing is wasting the money.” New York City guzzles $7.4 billion in federal dollars yearly—funds for subways, schools, and security that Mamdani’s utopia would squander on virtue-signaling giveaways.

Mamdani fired back: “I will address that threat for what it is: it is a threat. It is not the law.” But Trump’s history speaks louder—deploying National Guard to blue cities for crime crackdowns, yanking funds from sanctuary jurisdictions. It’s not pettiness; it’s protecting taxpayers from subsidizing socialism. Cuomo, who “fought Donald Trump” as governor, now touts that grit: “When I’m fighting for New York, I am not going to stop.” In a Democratic stronghold where Trump polls poorly, this “anybody-but-Mamdani” strategy could peel off moderates weary of the assemblyman’s anti-Israel barbs and cop-bashing past.

GOP Groundswell: Cross-Party Coalition Crushes the Commie

Trump’s move ignited a Republican revolt against Sliwa, with heavyweights crossing lines. Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-N.Y.) endorsed Cuomo on Fox: “There’s no doubt in my mind he would be a far superior mayor than a communist.” Rep. Mike Lawler called him the “lesser of two evils” on WABC. Even disgraced ex-Rep. George Santos urged: “Vote for Andrew Cuomo… it is the only solution.” Not all GOPers fold—Rep. Nicole Malliotakis backs Sliwa as the “ONE… who has NOT contributed to the demise of our city”—but the tide turns toward pragmatism.

Mamdani’s mockery? A tweet jabbing Cuomo: “Congratulations… I know how hard you worked for this,” with a mock “Trump endorses” graphic. He spun Trump’s support as proof Cuomo’s a “puppet and parrot,” but it reeks of desperation: “The MAGA movement’s embrace… is reflective of Donald Trump’s understanding that this would be the best mayor for him.” Mamdani vows an “alternative” to Trump’s “mirror image”—dignity for all—but conservatives see a recipe for decline: “The answer… is not to create its mirror image here in City Hall.”

With early voting shattering records—151,212 on Sunday alone—today’s turnout could decide if NYC rebounds under Cuomo’s competence or crumbles under Mamdani’s collectivism. Trump, owning property in the city he loves, isn’t just meddling—he’s safeguarding his birthplace from the radicals who nearly wrecked it under de Blasio. Banks, UPS, and FedEx roll on; polls close at 9 p.m. But the real closure? Slamming the door on socialism before it bankrupts the greatest city on Earth.

As Trump quipped on 60 Minutes about Mamdani comparisons: “I think I’m a much better looking person.” Humor aside, his endorsement is a masterstroke: Unite behind Cuomo, or watch New York fall. Voters, the choice is yours—pragmatism or peril.