NYC Debate Tension Soars: Mamdani Looks Uncomfortable as Cuomo Presses Him on Global Jihad and Jews

Oneindia

The NYC mayoral debate turned tense as Zohran Mamdani faced tough questions from Andrew Cuomo regarding his stance on global jihad and the Jewish community. Observers noted Mamdani’s body language, appearing uncomfortable and defensive, as the former governor pressed him on these sensitive issues. The fiery exchange highlighted the high stakes of the race and the intense scrutiny candidates face on matters of national and international concern.    #NYC #MayoralDebate #ZohranMamdani #AndrewCuomo #CurtisSliwa #GlobalJihad #JewishCommunity #NYPolitics #NYCMayor #DebateHighlights #PoliticalDrama #Election2025 #BreakingNews #BodyLanguage #ControversialDebate  ~HT.410~PR.274~

Transcript

00:00I will be the mayor who doesn't just protect Jewish New Yorkers, but also celebrates and

00:04cherishes them.

00:05You're the savior of the Jewish people.

00:07You won't denounce, globalize the Intifada, which means kill Jews.

00:11There's unprecedented fear in New York.

00:14I have never, not once, spoken in support of global jihad.

00:19That is not something that I have said, and that continues to be ascribed to me.

00:23And frankly, I think much of it has to do with the fact that I am the first Muslim candidate

00:27to be on the precipice of winning this election.

00:34I would like to spend a few minutes to see if we can dial down the rhetoric.

00:37Mr. Mamdani, some Jewish New Yorkers continue to say that your comments on Israel and the

00:41war in Gaza leave them feeling unsafe and concerned about their future in our city.

00:47Recently, several prominent New York rabbis took the unusual step of denouncing your candidacy,

00:51including the rabbi of the Park Avenue Synagogue in Manhattan and Rabbi Michael Miller, the longtime

00:56leader of the Jewish Community Relations Council, who is a friend to many of us.

01:00Do you have any regrets about how you've dealt with these issues?

01:04And will your longstanding views on the subject get in the way of your ability to be an effective

01:09mayor?

01:10I look forward to being a mayor for every single person that calls this city home, not

01:15just those who voted for me in the Democratic primary, not just those that vote for me in

01:19this general election, but all eight and a half million New Yorkers.

01:22And that includes Jewish New Yorkers who may have concerns or opposition to the positions

01:27that I've shared about Israel and Palestine.

01:29You know, just a few weeks ago, I was on the M57, the slowest bus in New York City.

01:34And as I was seated there, there was a speech therapist who was sitting next to me.

01:38She told me that she was Jewish.

01:39She said that her daughter was a huge fan, but that she was not yet decided on who she was

01:44going to vote for.

01:45And she shared to me about her fears in this city, about rising anti-Semitism.

01:49And I told her what I will tell New Yorkers today, which is that I will be the mayor who

01:53doesn't just protect Jewish New Yorkers, but also celebrates and cherishes them, who doesn't

01:58just increase funding to hate crime prevention programs by 800 percent, who doesn't just

02:02ensure that the NYPD are outside of synagogues and temples on the High Holy Days, but also

02:07actually delivers on the implementation of the Hidden Voices curriculum in our school system

02:12so that children in this city learn about the beauty and the breath of the Jewish experience

02:16right here in the five boroughs.

02:17Okay.

02:18I've got a different comment on that, please.

02:25You know, not everything is a TikTok video.

02:28You're the savior of the Jewish people.

02:30You won't denounce, globalize the Intifada, which means kill Jews.

02:34There's unprecedented fear in New York.

02:37It was not several rabbis, Errol, it was 650 rabbis who signed the letter, not several.

02:46Let me ask you a related question, Mr. Cuomo.

02:49Many New Yorkers have serious grievances with Israel in the way the Israeli government under

02:53Benjamin Netanyahu has conducted the war in Gaza and expanded settlements in the West Bank.

02:59What would you say to, and how would you handle New Yorkers who are in the streets, if you

03:03were mayor, protesting the actions of the Netanyahu government?

03:07Fine.

03:08That's your right.

03:10Protest, demonstrate, disagree, God bless America, God bless New York City.

03:15And there is no doubt that there's two sides on what's going on, and the passions are very

03:19high.

03:20That doesn't, that doesn't justify anti-Semitic behavior in New York.

03:25It doesn't justify having a Jewish population that feels unprotected in New York.

03:31It doesn't, it doesn't justify leaders who stoke the flames of hatred against Jewish people,

03:40which is what Zoran does, in my opinion.

03:41I'll give him a chance to answer, and then we'll go to Mr. Slua.

03:46You know, I've heard from Jewish New Yorkers about their fears about anti-Semitism in this

03:52city.

03:53And what they deserve is a leader who takes it seriously, who roots it out of these five

03:57boroughs, not one who weaponizes it as a means by which to score political points on

04:02a debate stage.

04:03Mr. Slua.

04:04Excuse me.

04:05Excuse me, Mr. Cuomo, it's my turn, all right?

04:10It's like two kids in a schoolyard.

04:14Yeah.

04:15I heard you on the radio this morning.

04:16John, this is personal for me.

04:19I know you are under threat.

04:21The mother of my two youngest sons who are raised Jewish, Melinda Katz, is prosecuting

04:26this person who came up and tried to do you harm.

04:29But let me speak on behalf of my two sons.

04:33And they've heard some of the statements you've made, like in support of global jihad.

04:37And I hear some people out there saying the Jews, their time is due, which means the same

04:43thing.

04:44They're frightened.

04:45They're scared.

04:46They view you as the arsonist who fanned the flames of anti-Semitism.

04:51They cannot suddenly accept the fact that you're coming in like a firefighter and you're

04:56going to put out these flames.

04:58You've got a lot of explaining to do, a lot of apologizing to do.

05:03My sons are afraid.

05:04Their family, their friends, many in the Jewish community are concerned if you become mayor

05:09because they don't think when anti-Semitism rears its ugly head, which it's now doing more

05:15than ever before, that you will have the ability to come in and put out those flames of hate.

05:21Okay.

05:22Yes, we can...

05:24I think there is room for disagreement on many positions and many policies, but I also

05:31want to correct the record.

05:32I have never, not once, spoken in support of global jihad.

05:38That is not something that I have said, and that continues to be ascribed to me, and frankly

05:42I think much of it has to do with the fact that I am the first Muslim candidate to be

05:46on the precipice of winning this election.

05:49Now, all the same, Curtis, I do still want to be the mayor that will keep your sons safe,

05:58that will keep every single New Yorker safe, and it is my job to not only deliver on that

06:03commitment, but also to ensure that New Yorkers feel it every single day that they live in

06:10this city.

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