Zohran Mamdani, a candidate for New York City mayor, issued a public apology on Fox News for his past remarks criticizing the New York Police Department, stating on Wednesday that he would be “looking to work with these officers” if elected.
TL;DR
- Zohran Mamdani apologized publicly on Fox News to the NYPD for past remarks.
- Mamdani offered to speak with President Trump anytime to address the cost of living.
- The Democratic candidate seeks to mend ties with the police department before the election.
Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, also used the interview to send a direct message to President Donald Trump, looking into the camera to tell the Republican that he is willing to “speak at any time to lower the cost of living,” hitting on one of the defining themes of his campaign.
Mamdani's use of a Fox News platform to discuss Trump and the city's police force, significant obstacles to his mayoral aspirations, occurred as he seeks to expand his backing and forge connections before the upcoming election.
The state Assemblymember and self-described democratic socialist has been dogged on the campaign trail by comments he made in 2020 in which he called to “Defund this rogue agency” when referencing the city’s police department. His stance came during the national uproar over the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota, and at the time, he described the NYPD as “racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety.”
Mamdani has since disassociated himself from those stances, asserting they no longer reflect his present objectives. He is now committing to keeping the police department's personnel numbers steady, while establishing a “Department of Community Safety” designed to dispatch mental health professionals for specific incidents.
When questioned about his prior remarks, Mamdani, aged 33, stated that he had endeavored to reconcile with law enforcement officials privately. However, his statements on Wednesday during an appearance on Fox’s “The Story with Martha MacCallum” marked his most prominent effort to mend ties with the department.
Mamdani informed MacCallum that he had offered a private apology to a contingent of officers “for the language that I used.” She subsequently inquired if he intended to apologize publicly as well.
“Absolutely, I’ll apologize to police officers right here,” Mamdani said. “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.”
He elaborated on his earlier remarks: “In 2020, the year all of these tweets are referring to, it was the year George Floyd was killed and it felt like safety and justice had never been further apart.”
During the interview, Mamdani also looked straight at the camera to speak to Trump, who has threatened to cut off federal funds to the city and detain Mamdani if he secures the mayoral seat.
“I want to take this moment because you spoke about President Trump and he may be watching right now and I just want to speak directly to the president,” Mamdani said, adding he will be “a mayor who’s ready to speak at any time to lower the cost of living.”
Pressed repeatedly during the interview about his past criticisms of Israel, Mamdani said he was primarily focused on issues that matter to New Yorkers, but maintained his pledge to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he steps foot in the city.
He said it was too early to know if the cease-fire in Gaza would work, but said Trump deserved credit if it “proves to be something that is lasting, something that is durable.”
A spokesperson for Trump said the president was not watching the interview when it aired Wednesday.
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AP writer Jake Offenhartz contributed to this story