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New York Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Andrew Cuomo and Zohran Mamdani's posture reveals how Dems really felt during tense NYC mayoral debate showdown: experts
Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo dodging an onslaught of jabs and socialist state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani trying to snag a viral breakout moment were among the standouts from New York City's mayoral Democratic primary debate. Body language experts weighed in after the Democratic candidates sparred against each other Wednesday in the first debate of the 2025 primary election — as they jostled to outshine in each other in an already overcrowded race. Here's what they had to say of the top moments: Advertisement 5 The Democratic candidates for New York City mayor participating in a debate on June 4, 2025. Pool/ABACA/Shutterstock A rapidly blinking Cuomo Despite being the front-runner, Cuomo's body language clearly shifted as the NBC-Politico debate wore on as he was relentlessly attacked by his fellow candidates over more than two hours. The former governor, 67, dramatically increased his blinking when peppered with questions about his handling of COVID nursing home deaths and the sexual harassment scandal that led to his resignation, according to Washington DC-based body language expert Christopher Ulrich. Advertisement 'Initially confident and expressive, Cuomo's posture changed over time — particularly when he was under attack,' Ulrich said. 5 Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo looked uncomfortable as the attacks from other candidates continued, body language experts told The Post. 'We also saw an increase in blink rate when asked questions about COVID-19 nursing home deaths and sexual harassment.' The behavior, the expert noted, was a clear sign of 'increased psychological discomfort.' Hand in his pocket Advertisement Cuomo was also repeatedly spotted with his hand in his pocket as the going got tough, according to experts. 'While under verbal attack from the rest of the candidates, we see Cuomo keep his hand in his pocket, a self-soothing or protective gesture that often signals discomfort,' Ulrich said. At various points, Cuomo could be seen staring down at his podium as the attacks continued. 5 Cuomo kept on putting his hand in his pocket throughout the debate. NBC / YouTube Advertisement 'These unrelenting jabs, that obviously hit his sore spots, ultimately resulted in Cuomo looking down at his podium more than he looked up at the other candidates, the hosts or the camera,' brain and body language expert and psychiatrist Carole Lieberman said. 'To remove himself from the hostility directed at him, he began writing something and concentrated on it, so as not to be disturbed.' In search of a viral moment Mamdani, the 33-year-old socialist Queens Assemblyman, repeatedly used wild hand gestures in an apparent bid to steal the spotlight from Cuomo, the experts said. '[He] employed numerous attacks, including references to Cuomo's donors and the COVID report, to try to contrast and achieve one of those viral moments,' Ulrich said, adding that he often gestured toward Cuomo when delivering the attacks. 5 Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani used wild hand gestures to stand out during his clashes with Cuomo, experts say. Lieberman noted that Mamdani — who has zeroed in on young, white, ultra-left New Yorkers during his campaign — often used 'sensational, dramatic language' on stage at 30 Rockefeller Center. 'He is the wild card in the race, as his hand gestures, pointing in all directions, underscored,' she said. 'He was the most animated and determined to outshine Cuomo.' A statesmanlike performance A fired up Rev. Michael Blake came off as 'very stately' — even as the former Obama administration official consistently hammered Cuomo on stage, Lieberman said. Advertisement Ulrich added that Blake, a former Bronx Assembly member, tried to command attention with his Cuomo onslaught. 5 Rev. Michael Blake appeared 'stately' as he stood up to Cuomo. 'Mr. Blake stood out in some of the key moments by demanding Cuomo clarify several of his answers,' he said. 'Reporters often picked up on those demands and would repeat Blakes's clarifying questions. 'By interjecting assertively and keeping others quiet, Blake commanded attention. This approach mirrored techniques used by Trump in the 2016 Republican primary debates,' Ulrich said.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Cuomo — and attacks against ex-gov — takes center stage in rowdy NYC Democratic mayoral debate
Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo was at the center of a pile-on during a rowdy mayoral debate Wednesday night — as flailing Democratic candidates seized their first chance to attack the primary's frontrunner in a public forum. Cuomo literally stood mid-stage between the other eight candidates, who repeatedly pelted the thrice-elected Democrat — with COVID nursing home deaths and his checkered record leading the Empire State hijacking much of the NBC-Politico debate. 'The people who don't feel safe are young women, mothers and grandmothers around Andrew Cuomo,' shot the Rev. Michael Blake, a former Obama administration official, who scathingly evoked the sexual harassment accusations that led to the former governor's resignation. 'That's the greatest threat to public safety in New York City.' An often-heated Cuomo responded to the attacks, as well as pointed questions by debate moderators, with barbs of his own and conspicuous dodges for the chaotic more than two hours. He directed fire of his own at the candidates closest to him in the polls: Democratic socialist Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani and City Comptroller Brad Lander. Cuomo, 67, cast Mamdani's plan to offer $10 billion of freebies for hardworking New Yorkers as not rooted in 'reality.' He also argued that Mamdani, a 33-year-old who was elected to the state Legislature in 2021, lacked the experience to stand up to a hostile President Trump, if elected mayor. 'Donald Trump would go through Mr. Mamdani like a hot knife through butter,' Cuomo said. 'He has been in government for 27 minutes' Mamdani, who is rising to within single digits of Cuomo in the polls, hammered the longtime politician as not being on the side of working-class New Yorkers. The Democratic Socialists of America lawmaker skewered Cuomo's super PAC, Fix The City, for cashing in on a $1 million donation from the popular app DoorDash — for which the former governor's top-ranking aide Melissa DeRosa's father works as a lobbyist. He landed some big haymakers against Cuomo, but also peppered his answers with little jabs. When asked his biggest regret, Mamdani was harsh — and stayed on point with attacking Cuomo. 'As a Democrat, one of my regrets is having trusted the leaders within our own party leaders like Andrew Cuomo, because what we've seen is that kind of leadership has delivered us to this point where we are under attack by an affordability crisis on the inside and a Trump administration,' he said. Cuomo at one point quipped that Trump 'gets sued 10 times before he gets out of bed in the morning.' 'Kind of like you,' Mamdani shot back. Lander, for his part, subtly swiped Cuomo in nearly every answer — calling him as corrupt as Trump. Cuomo went scorched earth at Lander, who is polling at third place. He accused Lander of corruptly approving $500,000 in contracts associated with his wife — a charge the comptroller called a lie. Cuomo managed to attack all of his opponents in one fell swoop by calling out their past support for the 'Defund the Police' movement. 'We wouldn't need more police if we didn't defund them in the first place,' Cuomo said. But when it came time to answer for his own record, Cuomo seemingly couldn't find the words. Asked about the controversial state bail reforms that he signed into law in 2019, Cuomo chose to use his 30 seconds to attack Lander — prompting the moderators to warn him he was running out of time to answer. He also got heated — and raised his voice — as he insisted nursing home deaths were not undercounted in New York during the COVID-19 pandemic, though they were. 'It's very, it's very clear that's the Trump line, the MAGA line,' claimed Cuomo, who is facing a Department of Justice probe for allegedly lying to Congress about his handling of COVID nursing home deaths. The crowded dais provided little oxygen to the struggling candidates, who for months now have struggled to topple Cuomo atop the polls or match the momentum of the socialist Mamdani. Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and state Sen. Zellnor Myrie were two of the few able to cut through the often chaotic barrage of attacks on the ex-governor, with Big Apple politicos saying the pair came across as authentic politicians with concrete agendas. Hedge fund manager and longshot candidate Whitney Tilson went after Mamdani several times, dredging up a past X post that called the NYPD 'wicked & corrupt.' Political consultant and lobbyist Yvette Buckner said voters will likely be left wanting to hear more. 'There were some missed opportunities on the top issues of public safety and affordability and the question of the 'biggest regret' for candidates, which is something New Yorkers would want to hear more about, especially from the front runner,' she added. But Blake, a former state Assembly member, proved to be the breakout star of what will be his first and final debate, repeatedly hitting Cuomo — including over a racially tinged comment from decades ago. Democratic operative Ken Frydman, though, dashed Blake's hopes, saying, 'Cuomo will get more of the black vote than he will.' 'No one knows who he is.' — Additional reporting by Carl Campanile
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
How much is Andrew Cuomo's rent? He's given three answers
Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo has given a couple of different answers when asked how much he pays for rent — including on Wednesday night during a chaotic Democratic mayoral primary debate. Cuomo, the frontrunner in the June 24 primary, told moderators that he was forking over $7,800 monthly as he scribbled on a pad of paper during the lightning round of questions at the fiery NBC-Politico forum held at 30 Rockefeller Center Plaza. That was the third figure the veteran politician has offered in recent months about the cost to live in his luxury Manhattan apartment, located near Sutton Place. When The Post reviewed Cuomo's lease earlier this year, it was listed at $8,200 and he paid just over $8,000 to start. He told the New York Times earlier this week that his rent had just jumped to about $8,000 per month. Cuomo has been labeled a carpetbagger by critics after it came to light he only registered to vote in the city last fall. He also only started living full-time in the city since the fall after splitting time between Westchester County and Manhattan. Cuomo initially lived in the Midtown East apartment with one of his daughters, before she moved out as hear dad geared up for his comeback bid for mayor, which he announced March 2. The other candidates said during the debate they either rented or owned their homes across the Big Apple – though their monthly payments were lower than Cuomo's. Here's what the rest of the candidates for the Democratic nod said they pay for housing: City Comptroller Brad Lander: $3,300 City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams: 'Our home is paid. I'm a homeowner.' State Sen. Zellnor Myrie: $1,300 State Sen. Jessica Ramos: $2,500 Former City Comptroller Scott Stringer: $6,400 State Assembly member Zohran Mamdani: $2,300 Rev. Michael Blake: $1,800 Financier Whitney Tilson: Owns but pays $5,000 in upkeep and taxes One of the pressing issues brought up numerous times during the debate, was how to make housing in the city more affordable — with candidates detailing various plans.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Andrew Cuomo gets heated as he wrongly insist COVID nursing home deaths were not undercounted: ‘That's the Trump line'
Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo got heated — and raised his voice — as he faced attacks Wednesday on everything from sexual harassment accusations against him and nursing home deaths in New York during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cuomo stood at center stage in the Democratic mayoral primary debate amid a pile up of criticism from the eight other candidates during a fiery NBC-Politico Democratic primary mayoral debate. 'No, we didn't undercount any deaths,' Cuomo loudly insisted during one particularly heated moment. The harshest attack arguably came from the Rev. Michael Blake, a former Obama administration official, who scathingly evoked the sexual harassment accusations that led to the former governor's resignation. 'The people who don't feel safe are young women, mothers and grandmothers around Andrew Cuomo,' Blake said. 'That's the greatest threat to public safety in New York City.' Cuomo, who has vehemently denied the accusations from 11 women, uncharacteristically declined to respond. Blake then seized the opportunity to send a message to to women watching the live debate. 'Everyone woman watching tonight, he was just given a chance to acknowledge the clear claims and he ignored it,' Blake said. But Cuomo didn't stay silent when speaking about coronavirus death in nursing homes. He got animated as he insisted nursing home deaths were not undercounted and also refused to say if he edited his administration's controversial report on the deaths — the lynchpin of the investigation into his time as governor by the Department of Justice. 'There was no doubt that my administration produced the report, and it did not undercount the deaths,' Cuomo eventually said but continued to defend his record. Cuomo said COVID deaths were counted where they occurred — in hospitals or nursing homes. But many of the 15,000 nursing home residents or patients died after they were gravely ill and transported to hospital. And a damning 2021 report by state Attorney General Letitia James found that New York's nursing-home death toll from COVID-19 may be more than 50% higher than Cuomo's administration initially reported. An audit in 2022 by state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli also concluded the state Health Department intentionally 'misled the public' about the number of nursing home deaths from COVID-19 to help burnish Cuomo's reputation before a sexual harassment scandal forced him to resign as governor — claims he denied. 'It's very, it's very clear that's the Trump line, the MAGA line,' Cuomo claimed. The moderators continued to push the ex-gov, but he refused to answer. 'I was very aware of the report,' he said. Cuomo also dismissed a reported Justice Department probe that lied to Congress during his testimony about his handling of the pandemic. 'No, I told Congress the truth,' he said. Rivals pounced. Brad Lander, the city comptroller, accused Cuomo of 'lying' to Congress and 'grieving' nursing home families. Blake accused Cuomo of refusing to answer the questions. At least 4,000 residents died after Cuomo's administration issued a controversial March 25, 2020 mandate for nursing homes to admit 'medically stable' coronavirus patients. Critics have argued the mandate led to the deaths.
New York Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Cuomo — and attacks against ex-gov — takes center stage in rowdy NYC Democratic mayoral debate
Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo was at the center of a pile-on during a rowdy mayoral debate Wednesday night — as flailing Democratic candidates seized their first chance to attack the primary's frontrunner in a public forum. Cuomo literally stood mid-stage between the other eight candidates, who repeatedly pelted the thrice-elected Democrat — with COVID nursing home deaths and his checkered record leading the Empire State hijacking much of the NBC-Politico debate. 'The people who don't feel safe are young women, mothers and grandmothers around Andrew Cuomo,' shot the Rev. Michael Blake, a former Obama administration official, who scathingly evoked the sexual harassment accusations that led to the former governor's resignation. Advertisement 6 Former NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during the NYC Democratic mayoral primary debate on June 4, 2025. via REUTERS 'That's the greatest threat to public safety in New York City.' An often-heated Cuomo responded to the attacks, as well as pointed questions by debate moderators, with barbs of his own and conspicuous dodges for the chaotic more than two hours. Advertisement He directed fire of his own at the candidates closest to him in the polls: Democratic socialist Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani and City Comptroller Brad Lander. Cuomo, 67, cast Mamdani's plan to offer $10 billion of freebies for hardworking New Yorkers as not rooted in 'reality.' He also argued that Mamdani, a 33-year-old who was elected to the state Legislature in 2021, lacked the experience to stand up to a hostile President Trump, if elected mayor. 'Donald Trump would go through Mr. Mamdani like a hot knife through butter,' Cuomo said. 'He has been in government for 27 minutes' Advertisement 6 Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani responds during the debate. via REUTERS Mamdani, who is rising to within single digits of Cuomo in the polls, hammered the longtime politician as not being on the side of working-class New Yorkers. The Democratic Socialists of America lawmaker skewered Cuomo's super PAC, Fix The City, for cashing in on a $1 million donation from the popular app DoorDash — for which the former governor's top-ranking aide Melissa DeRosa's father works as a lobbyist. He landed some big haymakers against Cuomo, but also peppered his answers with little jabs. Advertisement When asked his biggest regret, Mamdani was harsh — and stayed on point with attacking Cuomo. 6 Nine Democratic mayoral candidates take the stage during the party's primary debate on June 4, 2025. AP 'As a Democrat, one of my regrets is having trusted the leaders within our own party leaders like Andrew Cuomo, because what we've seen is that kind of leadership has delivered us to this point where we are under attack by an affordability crisis on the inside and a Trump administration,' he said. Cuomo at one point quipped that Trump 'gets sued 10 times before he gets out of bed in the morning.' 'Kind of like you,' Mamdani shot back. 6 Democratic mayoral candidate Michael Blakes gestures during his turn at the debate. AP Lander, for his part, subtly swiped Cuomo in nearly every answer — calling him as corrupt as Trump. Cuomo went scorched earth at Lander, who is polling at third place. Advertisement He accused Lander of corruptly approving $500,000 in contracts associated with his wife — a charge the comptroller called a lie. Cuomo managed to attack all of his opponents in one fell swoop by calling out their past support for the 'Defund the Police' movement. 'We wouldn't need more police if we didn't defund them in the first place,' Cuomo said. Advertisement But when it came time to answer for his own record, Cuomo seemingly couldn't find the words. Asked about the controversial state bail reforms that he signed into law in 2019, Cuomo chose to use his 30 seconds to attack Lander — prompting the moderators to warn him he was running out of time to answer. He also got heated — and raised his voice — as he insisted nursing home deaths were not undercounted in New York during the COVID-19 pandemic, though they were. 'It's very, it's very clear that's the Trump line, the MAGA line,' claimed Cuomo, who is facing a Department of Justice probe for allegedly lying to Congress about his handling of COVID nursing home deaths. Advertisement 6 NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo shakes hands with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner on Oct. 20, 2016. Chad Rachman/New York Post The crowded dais provided little oxygen to the struggling candidates, who for months now have struggled to topple Cuomo atop the polls or match the momentum of the socialist Mamdani. Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and state Sen. Zellnor Myrie were two of the few able to cut through the often chaotic barrage of attacks on the ex-governor, with Big Apple politicos saying the pair came across as authentic politicians with concrete agendas. Hedge fund manager and longshot candidate Whitney Tilson went after Mamdani several times, dredging up a past X post that called the NYPD 'wicked & corrupt.' Advertisement 6 Ambulance workers transport an elderly patient from the Cobble Hill Health Center nursing home which experienced an alarming number of COVID-19-related deaths on April 17, 2020. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Political consultant and lobbyist Yvette Buckner said voters will likely be left wanting to hear more. 'There were some missed opportunities on the top issues of public safety and affordability and the question of the 'biggest regret' for candidates, which is something New Yorkers would want to hear more about, especially from the front runner,' she added. But Blake, a former state Assembly member, proved to be the breakout star of what will be his first and final debate, repeatedly hitting Cuomo — including over a racially tinged comment from decades ago. Democratic operative Ken Frydman, though, dashed Blake's hopes, saying, 'Cuomo will get more of the black vote than he will.' 'No one knows who he is.' — Additional reporting by Carl Campanile
