Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee for New York City mayor, said he has not spoken with former President Donald Trump in roughly two decades and rejected the president’s demand that long-shot candidates drop out to consolidate anti-socialist support.
Sliwa described a “love-hate” relationship with Trump built over years of public criticism and satire, and said the two men have been on opposite sides since Sliwa’s days as a radio host and television satirist. He told The Post that the last time the pair spoke was July 22, 2004, a date Sliwa tied to the indictment of John Gotti Jr. in a case linked to Sliwa’s 1992 kidnapping and attempted murder.
Trump has pressed candidates to withdraw from the New York City mayoral race this week, giving what aides and allies described as an unenforceable deadline to clear a single best anti-socialist contender to face Councilman Zohran Mamdani, who leads polls in the Democratic field. Trump has signaled support for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo as the most viable one-on-one opponent to Mamdani, rather than backing the city’s GOP standard-bearer, Sliwa.
A person described by The Post as close to the Trump administration said a job had been floated to Sliwa to entice him to step aside. That source characterized Sliwa as having refused the offer, using the phrase “because he’s insane.” Sliwa denied any contact with the White House and reiterated that he did not have a relationship with Trump, saying, “Curtis doesn’t like Trump. Trump doesn’t like Curtis. Trump wants nothing to do with him,” according to a separate source close to both men.
Sliwa, a former radio talk-show host and founder of the Guardian Angels, said his on-air satire over more than a decade drew Trump’s ire. “Every week for 13 years I was on NY1 and would do political satire,” he said. “We talked Cuomo, Trump, (Bill) de Blasio, Christine Quinn, (Anthony) Weiner, (David) Paterson. Whoever was in the news. I think a lot of those people, including Trump, didn’t appreciate, my sense of satire and humor from time to time.”
Their first encounter, Sliwa said, was in 1986 at a New York State Conservative Party gala where both were recognized. Over the years, the two occasionally found common ground, Sliwa said, including when Trump helped preserve the Veterans Day Parade, which Sliwa had publicly praised. But that rapport frayed as Trump moved from businessman and television personality into politics.
Sliwa recounted episodes of public disagreement, including a 2015 demand that Trump apologize over an interview the then-GOP candidate had cited to assert that Muslims in New Jersey celebrated the Sept. 11 attacks. Sliwa said he invited Trump to a “hummus summit” at a Paterson restaurant to resolve the matter; Trump did not attend, according to reporting at the time. Sliwa also criticized Trump’s bankruptcies and, during the 2016 campaign, called Trump a “manic depressive.”
A source close to Sliwa framed their dynamic as two high-profile entertainers who at times clashed over issues and style. The source told reporters that there was not sustained personal animosity but acknowledged long-standing disagreements.
Sliwa, who has positioned himself as a law-and-order candidate, said an endorsement from Trump could be a double-edged sword in a city that voted overwhelmingly for Democrats in recent elections. “Trump should stay out of the election. Period. It’s just charging up Zohran Mamdani,” Sliwa told The Post, while adding that an endorsement “would be fine” if Trump chose to offer one.
Political operatives and Republican strategists have been publicly and privately debating whether consolidating support behind a single anti-Mamdani candidate would improve the GOP’s chances. Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat who has fallen to fourth place in some polls, and Cuomo have both been floated as potential consolidators in conversations linked to Trump’s intervention. Trump’s efforts to shape the race mark an unusual direct intervention by a former president into a municipal contest in New York City.
Campaigns and allies are weighing immediate tactical decisions as the nomination battle plays out. For Sliwa, the decision to remain in the race—despite pressure from the former president and overtures from other political figures—signals that longstanding personal grievances and divergent public profiles complicate any negotiated withdrawal.
Sliwa’s refusal to yield highlights fractures within the anti-Mamdani coalition and underscores the limits of external influence in a crowded, high-profile mayoral contest. With multiple candidates still in the field and Trump publicly promoting one alternative, the race is likely to remain fluid in the days ahead as voters and party leaders assess who can best challenge the leading Democratic contender.
Reporting by The Post and comments from campaign sources provide the account of Sliwa’s history with Trump and the current political maneuvering. Sliwa’s statements and the anonymous characterizations from sources illustrate the tangled personal and strategic calculations influencing one of the nation’s most closely watched mayoral contests.