Zohran Mamdani appears on Fox News ahead of 1st mayoral debate
Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa are gearing up for their first face-to-face confrontation Thursday night.
The candidates for New York City mayor will debate, hoping to win over voters.
Mamdani appears on Fox News
Mamdani got a chance to warm up for his first debate with Cuomo and Sliwa by appearing Fox News for the first time. He faced a buzzsaw of questions, including whether he would raise his hand to say President Trump deserves credit for the return of the Israeli hostages.
"I continue to have concerns because there are reports still, in the last few days, that five Palestinians were killed by the Israeli military. That's what gives me pause about giving any kind of praise, or celebration, at the moment, when it is still in its infancy," Mamdani said.
So could Mamdani give Mr. Trump credit for bringing the hostages home?
"I think it's too early to do so. But if it proves to be something that is lasting, durable, that's where you give credit," he said.
Mamdani was also asked probing questions about public safety, bail issues, and his affordability agenda. He pushed back time and time again.
Did he agree with ChatGPT's description of New York City as the financial capital of the world?
"We should be proud, but that's one thing you have in common with Andrew Cuomo, because he also uses ChatGPT to answer many questions, including how to actually resolve the housing crisis," Mamdani said.
Mamdani's appearance on Fox came after he unveiled a plan to recruit more teachers to deal with the state mandate to reduce class size.
Mamdani also made it clear he is ready to take on his opponents, especially Cuomo, in their first debate.
"No matter the attacks that I will face, whether they're personal or political ones ... I will continue to focus on New Yorkers. And I'll focus on them because every day is an opportunity to make clear that they can actually have a mayor that's looking to serve them, and that's the mayor I'm looking to be," Mamdani said.
Mamdani's apology to the NYPD
Mamdani was asked about his past remarks about the NYPD, and again reiterated an apology he has previously offered.
"We used to ask officers to focus on serious crimes. Now we're asking them to focus also on the mental health crisis, to focus also on homelessness," Mamdani said. "Absolutely I'll apologize to police officers right here. Because this is the apology that I've been sharing with many rank and file officers. And I apologize because of the fact that I'm looking to work with these officers, and I know that these officers, these men and women who serve in the NYPD, they put their lives on the line every single day."
Mamdani said his prior social media remarks critical of the NYPD happened in 2020, the year George Floyd was killed.
"It felt like safety and justice had never been further apart," Mamdani said. "To deliver that justice, you also have to deliver that safety. And that means representing the men and women in the NYPD. It means representing the Black and Brown New Yorkers who have been the victims of police brutality. It means representing the Muslim members of my district who were surveilled on the basis of their faith."
Debate set for Thursday
Cuomo was in Chinatown to again call for building a new prison on Rikers and scrapping the $16 billion plan to build borough-based jails. He insisted it's a two-man race with Mamdani, but is doing nothing special to prepare for their face off.
"You know, I think his positions are nonsensical. I think his ideology is farcical. I think his experience and qualifications are nonexistent," Cuomo said.
Sliwa said he'll highlight his crimefighting chops.
"It's clear that on the law and order issue I am separate and succinct from them in every way. They are for no cash bail, Zohran and Andrew. They are for raise the age. And now we've seen a spike in juvenile crime," Sliwa said.
Adams also weighed in on the race, saying it isn't over, and things can change.
Early voting starts in 10 days. The election is Nov. 4.