In a Zoom press conference held today at 11 AM—moved online due to rain—New York City mayoral candidate Brad Lander launched a blistering attack on former Governor Andrew Cuomo, accusing him of aligning with Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and their “MAGA cabal” to further his own political ambitions. The press conference was originally scheduled to take place outside the Trump International Hotel & Tower at 1 Central Park West.
Lander opened his remarks by framing Cuomo as a politician who has consistently failed to stand up for New York City, even as Trump and Musk have worked to siphon resources and threaten the city’s stability.
“Andrew Cuomo is running for mayor on the claim that he’ll stand up for New York City,” Lander said. “But time and time again, he has failed to do so, even as Trump steals our money, deports our neighbors, and threatens our budget, our housing, our healthcare, our education.”
Lander then revealed what he called “stunning new ties” between Cuomo and Trump’s donor network. According to recently uncovered financial records, Cuomo’s campaign donors have contributed over $150,000 to Trump’s presidential campaign and Super PAC.
“Andrew Cuomo is being bankrolled by some of the most extreme flanks of Trump’s MAGA world in his bid for New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary,” Lander stated. “His recent campaign filings reveal that Cuomo donors gave over $150,000 to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and the Trump Super PAC. And here’s a few of them.”
Among the high-profile donors cited were Anthony Scaramucci, the short-lived Trump White House communications director; Randy Levine, a Trump megadonor and close confidant; Tanya Zuckerbrot, a MAGA influencer who attended Trump’s inaugural ball before co-hosting a Cuomo fundraiser; and GOP billionaire Ken Langone, who has funneled tens of thousands into a Cuomo-aligned Super PAC.
Lander questioned why these figures were so invested in Cuomo’s campaign.
“Why do all these MAGA types want Andrew Cuomo to be the mayor of New York City? That’s the question we’re asking today,” he said.
Lander also highlighted Cuomo’s long-standing relationship with Trump, mentioning that Trump even recorded a video for Cuomo’s bachelor party and that Cuomo previously refused to return personal donations from Trump, even as he was serving as president.
Further deepening his criticisms, Lander pointed to a new report detailing Cuomo’s role in approving a $959 million state subsidy for a Musk-controlled solar company, which later became part of Tesla.
“As governor, Andrew Cuomo greenlit a $959 million state subsidy for a solar panel company controlled at the time by Elon Musk’s family, and now owned by Tesla,” Lander said. “The Buffalo Billion scandal was one of the biggest corruption stories in modern New York political history. Cuomo made promises to Musk to expand projects using his power as governor, effectively funneling millions of taxpayer dollars into the pockets of Elon Musk.”
Lander further lambasted Cuomo for remaining silent on key issues affecting New Yorkers in recent weeks.
“When Donald Trump and Elon Musk stole $80 million from New York City’s bank account, and I had to raise the alarm and force the Adams administration to court, where was Andrew Cuomo?” he asked.
“When Trump and Musk moved to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, threatening student loans and school lunches, where was Andrew Cuomo?”
“When the VA was gutted, denying veterans their healthcare and mental health services, where was Andrew Cuomo?”
Lander noted that despite Cuomo’s past role as HUD Secretary, he has remained silent as Trump’s housing policies have driven up mortgage prices and slashed emergency housing vouchers.
“He likes to imagine himself in power,” Lander quipped. “But he’s been around while all these things are happening—while $80 million was stolen, while the U.S. Department of Education is being destroyed, while the VA is being wrecked, while ICE moves to deport our immigrant neighbors—and Andrew Cuomo has not said one word about it.”
Lander ended his remarks by issuing a direct challenge to Cuomo.
“I’m calling on him today to return the contributions from these MAGA-world donors that tie him to Donald Trump,” he said. “If he wants to be an independent voice for the people of this city, then the time to show it is now. Don’t tell us you’ll show it later while taking contributions behind our backs.”
Lander also reminded voters that Cuomo’s history of working with Republicans is nothing new, citing his role in forming the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC), which helped keep the GOP in control of the state senate even after Democrats won a majority.
“Andrew Cuomo worked with Republicans to put housing at risk, to block election reforms, to delay reproductive freedom protections,” Lander said. “He kept the IDC in place even after Donald Trump’s election in 2016. It took Democrats fighting to dismantle it over his objections to get things done.”
Lander concluded with a final call for Cuomo to return MAGA-linked campaign funds and denounce Trump’s policies.
“Will Andrew Cuomo hold onto his MAGA money, or will he return it back to the swamp it came from?” Lander asked. “The answer to that question will tell you a lot about Andrew Cuomo and what kind of leader he will be.”
The Cuomo campaign has yet to respond to Lander’s allegations.
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Susan Shrestha
View More PostsSusan Shrestha covers a wide range of topics, from local matters to global affairs.
