One of Thursday night's contenders will take over the comptroller's office in the Municipal Building. | Momos

NEW YORK -- The two top candidates for New York City Comptroller faced off Thursday evening for a debate that was laden with questions about the fiscal threat posed by President Donald Trump.

The dueling Democratic officials -- City council member Justin Brannan and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine -- showed little daylight between their positions aside from delivery style.

They vowed to stand up to attempts by the president to curtail New York City's federal funding stream. They want to divest city pension funds from Tesla. They want to audit NYPD overtime. They shot down Mayor Eric Adams' recent "Bit bond" proposal. They are proposing to invest pension funds into affordable housing and universal childcare.