Just months after Curtis Sliwa was defeated by socialist Zohran Mamdani in the race for mayor of New York, the two reunited for a comedy skit. The scene featured “Dr. Cliwa” – a doctor who administers allergy medication to Zohran Mamdani, a novice cat owner. They took part in a comedy skit at the Inner Circle charity music show in 2026.
Of course, the comedy skit was poorly received by Republicans, who accused Curtis Sliwa of betraying the party. During Sliwa’s election bid, many even believed that Zohran Mamdani won because Sliwa did not withdraw from the election race, paving the way for Andrew Cuomo to defeat Mamdani.
During the campaign to run for mayor of New York, Donald Trump also supported Andrew Cuomo. But Sliwa refused to let go of his chances.
And now he was laughing publicly with Mamdani. Watch the video here:
How the Republicans responded
John A. Catsimatidis, who once ran in the Mayor race, told the New York Times, “I’m very disappointed. Now we know why he was attacking Andrew Cuomo.”
Some even called him a traitor.
Joe Borelli, a Republican lobbyist and former Staten Island councilman, accused Sliwa of colluding with Mamdani.
“I backed Curtis and then he dumped me, so I wouldn’t doubt him,” he said.
According to SkyNews, former governor David Paterson said: “When you don’t have a bed to sleep in, you have to find someone to take you – you can’t tell when people are loyal to a party and I thought that was reprehensible.”
Another GOP operative called Curtis Sliwa a traitor. He said Sliwa “betrayed his family. Betrayed the Republican Party. Betrayed everybody.”
How Curtis Sliwa responded to criticism for his skit with Mamdani
Responding to GOP criticism, Curtis Sliwa defended his comedy skit with Zohran Mamdani, saying it was all about cats.
“See…when it comes to getting a point across, he knows how to get a message across. I think from the streets and the subway I know how to get a message across. And it was all about cats, about animals. And, oh, so many people got melodramatic,” he was quoted as saying.
Zohran Mamdani scored a decisive and historic victory in the November election, defeating Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and heavyweight former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent and won the endorsement of US President Donald Trump on the eve of the election.
