“The View” co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin pressed Democratic New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday about his previous anti-police rhetoric.
Mamdani accused the New York Police Department (NYPD) of being “wicked,” “corrupt,” “racist,” and a threat to New Yorkers’ public safety in a series of X posts throughout 2020. Since Mamdani has walked back these claims, Griffin asked him whether he can be trusted to actually be true to his word on not defunding or disrespecting local law enforcement.
“Back in 2020, you call for defunding the police. Something that you have since walked back. You also called the NYPD racist, anti-queer and a threat to public safety in 2020, but now agree they deserve an apology. You initially refused to denounce highly charged rhetoric related to Israel, then later said you would discourage its use. How can New Yorkers trust you and not be concerned that consultants are getting in your ear to get you elected but still hold all of those positions?” Griffin asked.
“Well, they can rest assured that it isn’t consultants in my ear,” Mamdani said. “And I think this is apart of, to be a young person looking to lead, is also to leave the opening for growth and understanding. And I can tell you, growing up in this city, I thought often about safety and justice and I saw how justice was often left aside. Whether it was the Central Park Five, whether it was Sean Bell, whether it was Eric Garner, whether it was watching the news of Michael Brown and then in 2020, to see the murder of George Floyd, it felt as if there had never been a wider catechism in my life between those things. And after that, after becoming an assembly member and learning about the ways in which you deliver justice by intertwining it with safety can’t be done alone.”
WATCH:
Mamdani further said he will represent all law enforcement officers in the city and black people who have allegedly “been the victims of police brutality.” He said that he has not given a formal apology to the NYPD, but has spoken to officers individually.
In a June 28, 2020, post on X, Mamdani called to defund the NYPD because it was supposedly “racist, anti-queer and a major threat to public safety.” He also said in a Dec. 7, 2020, X post that the NYPD is “wicked” and “corrupt” and it therefore must be defunded and dismantled.
“All this misery. All for money. In the last budget, the City Council tried to make the NYPD reduce its overtime budget by half. They simply refused. There is no negotiating with an institution this wicked & corrupt. Defund it. Dismantle it. End the cycle of violence,” Mamdani said.
All this misery. All for money.
Do you believe Zohran Mamdani can be trusted on police funding after his past statements?In the last budget, the City Council tried to make the NYPD reduce its overtime budget by half. They simply refused.
There is no negotiating with an institution this wicked & corrupt.
Defund it. Dismantle it. End the cycle of violence. (10/10) pic.twitter.com/CKmSHvnH1m
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) December 7, 2020
The mayoral nominee has since tried to assure the public that he is not running on defending the police. He stated during a July 30 press conference that his staunch anti-NYPD posts were “clearly out of step” with his current views on policing.
In December 2024, Mamdani initially called to slash funding for the Strategic Response Group (SRG), an NYPD task force which responded to the deadly shooting of slain NYPD officer Didarul Islam. He has since stated that his comments were part of his previous support for the “defund the police” movement.
Mamdani has since accused “MAGA billionaires” of spreading lies that he wants to defund the police. He wrote in a June 12 X post that rather than defund the police, he will allow them to invest in “social and mental health workers” and use “evidence-based policies that deliver safety.”
Democrat New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said on July 30 that she could never support a candidate who wants to defund the police. Mamdani since received her endorsement in September.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].
