New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has issued a direct challenge to President Donald Trump for a televised debate. The Democratic front-runner’s call comes after former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent, urged Mamdani to engage in debates across all five boroughs.

Mamdani accused Trump of attempting to interfere in the election, referencing previous phone calls between the two men about the mayoral race. He questioned why he should debate Cuomo, whom he labeled as Trump’s “puppet,” instead of confronting Trump directly. “Why should I debate Donald Trump’s puppet when I could debate Donald Trump himself?” Mamdani asked.

The candidate also criticized opponents for seeking favor with Trump and billionaires, vowing to let them “fight it out at whatever unofficial debates pop up this month.” Meanwhile, independent candidate Jim Walden alleged that Mamdani withdrew from planned debates after initially agreeing to participate, calling the move “spin” and accusing him of hypocrisy.

Cuomo argued that he has the best chance to defeat Mamdani in the general election, despite losing the Democratic primary by 13 points. He claimed that polls show Mamdani lacks majority support among New Yorkers. However, Cuomo denied any involvement with White House efforts to influence the race.

Mayor Eric Adams and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa have both rejected calls to drop out, with Adams’ campaign dismissing Cuomo’s $25 million primary expenditure as a failed strategy. Sliwa, meanwhile, vowed not to abandon his bid, citing commitments to supporters and down-ballot candidates.