WASHINGTON — President Trump finds something about Republican New York City mayoral contender Curtis Sliwa to be purr-posterous.
The president recoiled at the prospect of the cat lover bringing his clowder of felines into Gracie Mansion, as he said he hadn’t decided whether to get involved in the race yet.
“Is he really a Republican? Am I a big fan?” Trump mused during a pre-taped interview with Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”
“This isn’t exactly ideal, where he wants to make Gracie Mansion a home for the cats,” Trump continued. “Gracie Mansion is the magnificent home of Fiorello La Guardia and the great mayors, [like] Rudy Giuliani.”
Trump and Sliwa haven’t spoken in over a decade, though the long-shot mayoral aspirant has made clear he would try to thaw out his icy rapport with the president amid their “love-hate relationship.”
The pair appears to have last spoken on Dec. 24, 2013, when Sliwa had Trump on his radio program.
“Anyone who watched the debate saw that I praised President Trump for what he got right while making clear that I will always put New Yorkers first,” Sliwa told The Post in response to Trump’s dig at him.
“As for the cats, I’m proud of the lifesaving work my wife Nancy and rescuers across New York do every day to protect animals in distress.”
Trump is the first president in the modern era to forgo having an animal in the White House. James Polk and Andrew Johnson also declined to have pets in the executive mansion.
Three weeks out from the Nov. 4 election, Trump revealed that he is still laboring over whether he will make an endorsement, dismayed at the options.
“I don’t know that I’m going to get involved,” the president said. “I’ll make a decision soon.
“I don’t want to be endorsing Democrats as an example. That’s not my thing. But would you rather endorse a Democrat than a communist? Barely. Because they’re almost the same thing.”
Trump also took aim at Democratic mayoral hopeful Zohram Mamdani, describing him as “pretty slick.”
“But he doesn’t have what it takes,” he added. “The city will be in big trouble.”
The president has long hinted that he views former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) as the most viable chance to defeat Mamdani, who is the undisputed frontrunner in polling.
But Trump has stopped short of endorsing Cuomo, given their acrimonious history.
Here are some key moments from the first NYC mayoral debate
Cuomo’s allies and even some Republicans have urged Sliwa to drop out of the race and clear the lane for the former New York governor in hopes of giving him the best shot at defeating Mamdani.
The red-bereted Guardian Angels founder has refused to drop out of the race, as outgoing Mayor Adams opted to do late last month.
“Now [Cuomo’s] saying, `I can’t win without Sliwa votes.’ Where are your votes?!” Sliwa told YouTube’s “The Nate Friedman Show,” when pressed about concerns that he is being a spoiler candidate.
“Go out and get your own votes.”
Sliwa also noted that Cuomo lost to Mamdani in the Democratic primary, putting New York City in its current predicament.
