First, Zoran Mamdani upset former governor Andrew Cuomo within the Democratic major for mayor of New York City. Then the sitting mayor, former police captain Eric Adams, dropped out of the race and this week, endorsed Andrew Cuomo as his successor. All of this exercise and Mamdany stays the clear frontrunner within the race heading to election day.
Katie Honan, moderator
00:00:31
If there was a ranked alternative election, how would you vote, Mr. Mamdani?
Myself, primary and Curtis, quantity two
Katie Honan, moderator
00:00:35
Mr. Sliwa
Oh, please do not be glazing me right here, Zohran. Are you kidding me?
As you’ll be able to hear from this second in Wednesday evening’s remaining debate, there may be one one who, regardless of the pleas and cajoling of many, merely is not going to go away: Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.
You could possibly be impaling me and say I’ll cease should you drop out and endorse Andrew Cuomo and I’d say end the job.
He’s been a fixture of the town for 30 plus years, and he is right here to inform me what he is realized in regards to the metropolis and politics via this very memorable marketing campaign. I’m David Chalian, NCS’s Political Director and Washington Bureau Chief, and that is the NCS Political Briefing. Stay with us.
Mr. Sliwa, thanks a lot for being right here. Really admire it.
Oh, my pleasure. Anytime.
So clearly, the large information of the day within the race is that the present mayor, Eric Adams, has endorsed Andrew Cuomo, someone he ridiculed simply a few weeks again when he was nonetheless within the race. What is your response to the endorsement? How do you see it impacting the race?
‘Well, clearly he referred to as Andrew Cuomo a snake, which Cuomo is. So I assume the value was proper, and Eric Adams, who was one and accomplished, has grow to be a snake charmer. Anyway, look, these are two crooked birds of a feather who flock collectively. They’ll most likely need to get collectively and co-writer a guide referred to as The Art of the Steal. Because they have been responsible of stealing a lot of cash from us through the years…
Sir, are you implying that you just assume Eric Adams acquired, you mentioned the value is true, that’s getting one thing out of this endorsement?
Oh, there is not any doubt about it. Look, he was supplied all types of cash to drop out. So was I. I did not drop out, I used to be supplied $10 million.
Who supplied you $10,000,000?
Well, I already went on file as telling them, you higher kill the presents or I’ll be wired up like a Christmas tree and take it to the DA and that stopped. But we have had different reporters verify that and say they knew who it was that was providing me cash. So I moved on from there to now being threatened with my life and my spouse’s life, and in order that’s why I’ve to have armed safety. I’ve by no means had armed safety in my life, even after I acquired shot 5 occasions on the orders of John Gotti Sr. To John Gottie Jr. And the Gambino crime household. Survived that. Never had armed safety. So this has grow to be a very intense race the place the billionaires assume they are going to decide the following mayor. And it could not have been extra hopelessly mistaken. We’re going to let the individuals select the following mayor via one thing referred to as the vote. One particular person, one vote. No dropouts. And by the best way, the billionaires do not get to select their subsequent mayor.
Let’s discuss this stress marketing campaign. I’m a little confounded by it. It appears Andrew Cuomo appears to assume his solely path to presumably profitable this race is should you weren’t within the race. I’m unsure what that claims about his perception in his personal message and enchantment to voters, But however I do wonde, your personal boss at WABC has referred to as on you to get out of this race, a part of the stress marketing campaign. I believe you have left your job there now. 10 million wasn’t sufficient, as you mentioned. Is there one thing that someone can come to the desk to in these remaining days and say, Curtis, this provide is best than you ending out this marketing campaign. Can you think about what that may be?
Yeah, nicely, once more, as a few of these callers on behalf of dropping out for Cuomo mentioned, oh, come on, Curtis, all people has a worth. Let me offer you a picture. You keep in mind the top of Braveheart when Mel Gibson is on the gurney and so they’re impaling him. Remember they are saying a few phrases to him and he will not, he will not apologize. He will not give up, retreat, and so they end the job. You could possibly be impaling me and say, I’ll cease. If you drop out and endorse Andrew Cuomo, and I’d say, end the job. Does that make it completely clear? There’s 12 days left. I’m not dropping out. I acquired a pathway to victory. These are two Democrats. You have Cuomo who’s the architect of no money bail. His apprentice, Zohran Mamdani. Cuomo, the architect of “raise the age,” which nearly ended up inflicting the dying of my oldest son, Anthony, when he was a sufferer of a vicious juvenile gang assault. And these younger males went into household court docket, acquired a pat on the wrist, and had been launched proper out after virtually killing my son. The apprentice to that, Zohran Mandami. And Andrew Cuomo desires to shut our jail, Rikers Island, he is the architect and Zoran Mandami is the apprentice. I’m the one legislation & order candidate. People have mentioned, and I acquired his endorsement weeks in the past, Rudy Giuliani, that I’m Rudy 2.0 plus the endorsement of George Pataki, the previous governor. Why would I drop out?
So you mentioned and I’m going to discover this with you in a single second that you’ve got a path to victory. I would like to hear that however first I do need to simply shut this out and you’ve got made clear I get you are going nowhere. The Staten Island Advance, the large newspaper on the Republican stalwart of Richmond County, Staten Island, the large Republican stronghold in New York City endorsed Andrew Cuomo right now and within the endorsement, the editorial board there writes, “A vote for Curtis Sliwa is a vote Cuomo does not get, handing City Hall to Mamdani.” What do you say to response to that?
Well, let me ask you a query, who misplaced to Mamdan? Cuomo, proper? Cuomo handed him the Democratic nomination by not campaigning in opposition to him. Cuomo was 40 factors forward three months earlier than and misplaced by 13 factors. So if you need to blame anyone for the rise of Zohran Mamdani, you blame the Democrats, a failed, crooked Democratic mayor who beneath regular circumstances would have been the incumbent operating for reelection in opposition to Curtis Sliwa the Republican, spherical 2. He could not even run in a Democratic major. He would have principally gotten nil votes. And then you might have a corrupt, disgraced governor making a comeback and could not even be the man who a 12 months in the past, his personal neighbors did not even know him, Zohran Mandami. So, hey, put it on the Democrats. They allowed the socialists into their home. They allowed the fox of their hen coop. I’m the Republican. I’m operating on Republican ideas. I’m the populist and I imagine that individuals have a proper to be heard. Billionaires do not decide mayors. And individuals do not drop out in elections. This you have by no means heard this earlier than. I imply, be trustworthy, have you ever ever heard this earlier than? Come on!
Certainly not barring some main scandal and I take your level on that. Here’s my query. You mentioned you do have a path to victory. Can you paint that path? What does that path seem like so our viewers understands?
Sure, I acquired 28% of the vote the final time I ran in opposition to Eric Adams. And keep in mind, he was going to be the brand new face of the Democratic Party. How did that work out? Nobody knew about his baggage again then. So I’ll get much more. I’ll get Republicans, conservatives. There are two and a half occasions extra independents than there are registered Republicans. And I’m favorably acquired by them, some reasonable Democrats, and I’ve a model new celebration line, first ever in electoral historical past, organized by my spouse, an animal rights skilled. It’s referred to as Protect Animals. No kill shelters, animal abusers go to jail. And boy, that resonates with a lot of individuals. So that is going to convey out a sizable vote. So why would I drop out?
No, no, no. The query just isn’t about dropout. I perceive you on that. The query is that this path. I take your level in regards to the the added line. You mentioned you bought 28% final time. I imply, I can not discover a ballot proper now that exhibits you at that 28% stage help on this race. So what makes you assume you are going to enhance your participation?
Well, clearly, you are a believer in polls. The polls had been mistaken within the Democratic major.
The polls are mistaken with Trump and Harris. It was supposed to be neck and neck the evening of the election. He blew her out within the widespread vote, gained the seven battleground states. Why do you retain quoting polls that have not been proper but? Haven’t been proper but.
Has your marketing campaign paid for any polls for your self?
Yeah, we’ve got inner polls.
Right. Do you imagine these?
Yeah, candidates paying for their very own polls. Come on, who’s going to imagine that?
Said the candidate paying for the ballot.
‘Who paid for that ballot? Oh, Curtis Sliwa paid for that after all he paid for that ballot as a result of it places him in a good gentle. If Cuomo paid for a ballot, if Zohran Mandami paid for a ballot, come on. I do not imagine in polls, I imagine you might have to have a get out the vote effort. We know Zohran Mamdani has as a result of he already proved it. He whipped Andrew Cuomo, who had no get out the vote effort. We’re twelve days away. I’ve a get out the vote effort. We hold operating into the “Zohranistas” as we go door to door. We put literature. We make calls, texts, cellphone calls. There’s no Cuomo get out the vote effort. The New York Post simply wrote an article. He’s been lacking on the marketing campaign path for 10 days since Labor Day. You cannot win a marketing campaign should you’re not campaigning each day, and I do it 20 hours of a twenty-4 hour day.
We’ll be proper again with Curtis Sliwa in simply a second.
I’m again with Curtis Sliwa. He’s the Republican nominee for mayor of New York City. You and I are speaking the day after the ultimate debate. You had been on that NY1 debate stage final evening. How do you’re feeling like what you achieved on that debate stage? Do you’re feeling such as you had been ready to make arguments that you weren’t ready to make within the first debate?
Well, massive distinction, and having nothing to do with my adversaries, it had to do with who was internet hosting the controversy. NBC was the primary debate. It may as nicely have stood for Never Broadcast Curtis as a result of within the first 10 minutes, I principally had to take flags out like I used to be on an plane provider. Hello! I’m proper within the center, too, so it isn’t like I’m a bookend. They fully ignored me. I had to type of elbow my means in prefer it was curler derby. It was very uncomfortable for the viewers and everybody else. This was your extra conventional debate. Each of us had equal time. We had been requested related questions on what our insurance policies would do for the town. Sometimes we agreed, most occasions we disagreed. The viewers response to that was a lot higher. I seemed mayoral once more. I had one of the best grasp of the problems. And clearly I used to be the legislation and order candidate. I do not assume there was any doubt about that.
One of the belongings you introduced up on the controversy stage final evening is that you just mentioned that Zohran Mamdani had supported international jihad. He mentioned again to you that that was simply clearly not true. And I’m questioning, the place do you might have proof that he helps international jihad?
‘Well, he has supported these terrorists and people who wrapped their arms round terrorism, who all the time have flown the flag of worldwide jihad. Most lately, we noticed the Imam Siraj Wahhaj. simply days in the past, Zohran Mamdani visited him, embraced him, and that is an unindicted co-conspirator of the World Trade Center blast in ’92. And by the best way, the one particular person that’s ever taking over Imam Siraj Wahhaj, even after being an unindicted co-conspirator, was me. I acquired sued for $5 million by the Imam. It drained me for 2 years.
But does taking a picture with that Imam make Mamdani a international jihadist, a supporter of worldwide jihad?
‘If you embrace individuals who promote international jihadiism, what does that make you? And I am going on the file as saying, hey look, I’ve acquired two younger sons who’re introduced up Jewish. I’m telling you, they’re afraid of you. They imagine that you’ve got fanned the flames of the rising anti-Semitism, that from being an arsonist he cannot all of a sudden as a mayor grow to be a firefighter and be accepted.
Yeah, I needed to speak to you about that second that was, you recognize, listening to you discuss your younger youngsters who’re Jewish. I needed simply to perceive a little bit extra about how they expressed that worry, that concern to you, about Mamdani, what about his positions or issues he mentioned that they then mentioned to you, this creates worry in me to be a Jewish New Yorker? I’m simply making an attempt to perceive their connection.
Well, to begin with, I’m not a Jewish New Yorker, I’m the Gentile. Their mom is the Queen’s DA, Melinda Katz.
Lifelong Democrat. And I’d simply say these are conversations that I’ve had with my youngsters, their buddies, their households. Look, should you’re in New York City proper now, you are conscious that there are some Jews who help Zohran Mamdani, as I’ve advised my Jewish buddies, in accordance, if imagine the polls, 35, 40%. And there are some Jews who’re afraid of what a Zohran Mamdani would do as a mayor. They are extra reflective of the worry and fright that has accompanied the rise of Zohran Mamdani because the Democratic candidate operating for mayor.
If certainly this race doesn’t work out, and I do know you are going run via the tape right here, but when this does not work out and Mamdani wins this election, do you envision taking part in a function in making an attempt to convey the town collectively round him to make him a profitable mayor?
Well, primary, I will not do what Andrew Cuomo advised his Medici billionaire buddies within the Hamptons. Well, you recognize, if Zohran wins, I’m fleeing with you to Florida. Nah, I do not reduce and run. I imagine you enhance, do not transfer. No, I will probably be a part of the adversarial wing of creating positive that Zohran Mamdani understands I might be his worst nightmare as a result of I’ll be over every part he does, every part he says that clearly just isn’t in one of the best curiosity of New Yorkers. And that is what democracy is about and that is free speech is about. And my angle has all the time been should you’re frightened about hate speech, no, the one antidote is extra free speech. You want to have dialogue, individuals speaking. I’m not going wherever. I used to be born in New York. They tried to kill me in New York. I’ll die in New York, I’ll be buried in New York. I’m the one real New Yorker right here operating for mayor.
‘My final query for you, you have made clear all through this marketing campaign, your full opposition on coverage positions and in persona out of your opponents, Andrew Cuomo, Zohran Mamdani. I’m questioning, although, is there something- you talked about Cuomo being type of lackluster in vitality at occasions or absent from the marketing campaign trail- is there something from the Mamdani major victory, what he is been ready to energize round younger individuals within the metropolis and the like, that you just assume is a optimistic for New York? Is there one thing that you just see in his marketing campaign or candidacy that you just assume deserves some credit score?
Two years in the past, TikTook was a pink Chinese conspiracy to take over America, proper? Then all of a sudden, Trump realized, oh, I may use TikTook. That’s going to assist me with millennials and Gen Zers, which it did. Males, not females. He truly gained them over. He’s been a grasp with TikTook, little question about it. So when I’m mayor, he can deal with my social networking when it comes to my TikTook. There’s no one higher than Zohran Mamdani. I’m not even going to attempt to compete. I’m of a totally different era, that is not my lane.
Wow, I believe that was information there. You’re going to provide Mamdani the function of social media supervisor in your metropolis corridor.
Who’s higher than him, proper? I imply, all people provides him credit score. Even Andrew goes, oh, I wasn’t pretty much as good in social media. Let me let you know one thing. He’s tried, you recognize, with all that AI, would not he look silly? Doesn’t he perceive that he will get clicks as a result of Millennials and Gen Zs identical to laughing at him? Laughing, laughing. Because it is like grandpa who tries to hang around with the children. Doesn’t work out. Andrew, keep in your lane. Oh my God, you seem like a idiot. That’s why you get so many clicks.
Curtis Sliwa, Republican nominee for mayor of New York City, thanks for spending a while with us. Stay secure on the marketing campaign path at some stage in this run.
Oh, anytime. I’m all the time there for you.
Thanks for listening to my dialog with New York City mayoral candidate, Republican Curtis Sliwa. That’s all for this week, speak to you subsequent Friday.