WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump cast doubt Tuesday on Andrew Cuomo's prospects for securing the New York City mayorship, saying it appears that Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani has a lock on the post.

Trump said that based on polling, "it's not looking too good" for Cuomo, and that even if Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa were to drop out of the race, it appears Mamdani would win November's election.

"I don't know, if he dropped out, maybe Cuomo would have a little bit of a chance, but not much, because it looks like the lead is, it's not a great lead, but it's big enough that he should be able to win," Trump said of Mamdani.

A survey released this week continued to show Mamdani in the lead of the tightly-watched race, though his double-digit lead would narrow if Sliwa were to exit the contest. The polling from AARP and Gotham Polling & Analytics indicates that Mamdani holds a 14-point lead over Cuomo in a three-way race.

Mamdani's 43% to Cuomo's 29% dips to 45% to 41% if the Republican were to leave the race. That falls within the poll's four-point margin of error.

A compilation from The New York Times shows Mamdani winning in every survey where all three candidates are included. In head-to-head matchups between Mamdani and Cuomo, the former New York state governor wins in just two of six tracked polls.

Both of the polls that indicate Cuomo would win were conducted in July, while the other four were done in September.

If Mamdani wins, he would become the first Muslim and first South Asian mayor of America's largest city. He previously defeated Cuomo for the Democratic nomination in June, winning by a significant seven-point margin.

Early voting is slated to begin Saturday, with Election Day set for Nov. 4.