Just months after Curtis Sliwa was defeated by socialist Zohran Mamdani in the New York Mayoral race, the two have come together for a comedy skit. The skit featured ‘Dr Cliwa’ – a physician administering allergy medication to Zohran Mamdani, an aspiring cat owner. They participated in a comedy skit at the 2026 Inner Circle musical sketch charity Show.
The comedy skit was, of course, poorly received by the 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 pull out of the election race, paving way for Andrew Cuomo to defeat Mamdani.
During the campaign for New York Mayoral race, Donald Trump, too, had backed Andrew Cuomo. But Sliwa refused to let go of his chances.
And now, he was sharing laughs in public with Mamdani. Watch the video here:
How Republicans reacted
John A. Catsimatidis, who once ran in Mayor race, told 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 councilman from Staten Island, accused Sliwa of colluding with Mamdani.
“I supported Curtis and then he scummed me over, so I wouldn’t doubt anything about 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 anyone who will take you – You can't tell when people are true to the party, and I thought it was reprehensible.”
Another GOP operative called Curtis Sliwa a traitor. He said that Sliwa “betrayed his family. Betrayed the Republican Party. Betrayed everyone.”
How Curtis Sliwa responded to criticism over his skit with Mamdani
Reacting to the GOP criticism, Curtis Sliwa defended his comedy skit with Zohran Mamdani and said it was all about cats.
“Understand…when it comes to getting across a point, he knows how to deliver a message. I think from the streets and from the subways, I know how to deliver a message. And it was all about the cats, about animals. And, oh, so many people getting melodramatic,” he was quoted as saying.
Zohran Mamdani had registered a decisive and historic win at the polls in November as he defeated Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and political heavyweight former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent candidate and received US President Donald Trump’s endorsement only on the eve of the election.
