Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani ventured into hostile territory Wednesday, sitting for an interview with Fox News in their Midtown studios.
He had to answer once again for his views on the war in Gaza, as host Martha MacCallum pressed him on questions like whether Hamas should lay down arms and give up leadership in Gaza.
“I don’t really he opinions about the future of Hamas and Israel beyond the question of justice and safety,” he replied.
What You Need To Know Zohran Mamdani sat for an interview with Fox News where he made a direct appeal to Donald Trump on his cost of living agenda Mamdani also issued a direct apology to police officers for his past criticism of the NYPD Mayor Adams said he's in conversations with Andrew Cuomo about a possible endorsementMamdani, as always, relentlessly pushed his affordability agenda, even addressing his message directly to President Donald Trump.
“He may be watching right now, and I just want to speak directly to the president,” Mamdani said, turning to the camera. “Which is that I will not be a mayor like Mayor Adams who will call you to figure out how to stay out of jail. I won’t be a disgraced governor like Andrew Cuomo who will call you to ask how to win this election. I can do those things on my own. I will, however, be a mayor who’s ready to speak at any time to lower the cost of living.”
In a surprise, Mamdani again directly addressed the camera when asked to apologize for his past criticism of the NYPD.
“Will you do that right now?” MacCallum asked.
“Absolutely, I’ll apologize to police officers right here,” Mamdani said. “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.”
Meanwhile, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been in touch with Mayor Eric Adams, who hinted at an endorsement in a radio interview Wednesday — a dramatic turnaround from his comments just last month, when he called Cuomo “a snake and a liar.”
“We are in conversations,” Adams said on “The Reset Talk Show” on GMGT Live. “I'm in conversation with Andrew. I think it's important that we can't succumb to the far left agenda in this city.”
Cuomo, meanwhile, attacked Mamdani for his support of the plan to replace Rikers Island with four borough-based jails by 2027. Because those projects are behind schedule, Cuomo made the baseless claim that Mamdani intends to simply empty the jail.
“My plan is rebuild Rikers,” Cuomo said. “I believe his plan is to release the 7,000 people who are in Rikers. Because there is no alternative. And this is his philosophy.”
On the other end of the political spectrum, Republican Curtis Sliwa is promising a new look.
“I make this vow,” Sliwa said, speaking to civic leaders at an Association for a Better New York breakfast. “I’ll never wear that red beret again if you elect me mayor of the city of New York. We’ll put that red beret in storage.”
Sliwa linked his two opponents to each other, previewing his strategy for Thursday night’s first general election debate.
“My two adversaries, Zohran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo, they’re throwing out their chests,” he said. “‘I’m going to take on Donald Trump.’ ‘Oh no, I’m tougher. I’m tougher than you.’ Hello? The tough guy on this stage on Thursday is Curtis Sliwa.”