Zohran Mamdani used a Fox News interview on Wednesday to communicate instantly to President Donald Trump, who has usually referred to the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor as a “communist” and questioned his expertise.
Ahead of Thursday’s first common election debate, Mamdani, a democratic socialist who’s a frequent subject on Fox News, sat down for his first interview with the community on “The Story with Martha MacCallum.” Mamdani is ready to face off in opposition to impartial former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa for one in all two debates earlier than the November 4 election.
Responding particularly to Trump saying Mamdani has by no means “worked a day in his life,” Mamdani turned to the camera and stated he would communicate instantly to the president, guessing he was probably watching a community he usually posts about on social media.
“I will not be a mayor like Mayor (Eric) 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,” Mamdani stated. “I will, however, be a mayor who is ready to speak at any time to lower the cost of living. That’s the way that I’m going to lead the city.”
Mamdani pre-empted traces of assault his opponents are sure to deliver up on the debate stage. Mamdani issued an apology to New York Police Department officers years after calling them “racist” and “wicked” in social media postings written in the aftermath of the George Floyd protests in 2020.
He additionally doubled down on his pledge to direct the NYPD to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if Netanyahu visits New York City, saying that he would “exhaust every legal option” to attempt to carry it out.
MacCallum pressed Mamdani on the topic of Israel and the current Gaza ceasefire settlement, asking if he believed Hamas, a US designated overseas terrorist group, ought to “lay down their arms.”
Mamdani dodged, saying he had no opinion.
“I don’t really have opinions about the future of Hamas and Israel beyond the question of justice and safety and the fact that anything has to abide by international law,” Mamdani stated. “That applies to Hamas, that applies to Israeli military, applies to anyone you could ask for.”