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India Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Mamdani slams alleged Trump-Cuomo ties in NYC mayoral race
Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani swiftly responded on Thursday to a New York Times report alleging recent communication between Andrew Cuomo and US President Trump, condemning the rumoured coordination as 'disqualifying' for any prospective New York City mayor. MAMDANI CALLS CUOMO-TRUMP TIES DISQUALIFYINGMamdani argued that voters won't support a candidate aligned with Trump, especially as the former president reportedly considers involvement in the race. 'Coordinating with' Trump, Mamdani said during a WNYC interview, is 'disqualifying' in light of Trump's alleged hostility toward the continued his criticism at a quickly assembled rally outside 26 Federal Plaza, where ICE agents have drawn backlash for detaining immigrants after routine court appearances.'The job of mayor is not to audition to be the jester for a want-to-be king,' Mamdani said. Mamdani also took it to his account on X to comment about the alleged coordination between Cuomo and Trump. Today we learned Andrew Cuomo is directly coordinating with Donald Trump, even as this President sends masked agents to rip our neighbors off the streets and guts the social services so many New Yorkers rely disqualifying and a betrayal of our city. Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) August 6, 2025Mamdani intensified his criticism of alleged ties between New York mayoral candidates and President Trump, declaring, 'New Yorkers do not want a mayor who is working in tandem with the president to subvert the will of the people of New York City.'Positioning himself as the only viable choice for deep-blue NYC, Mamdani pointed to Mayor Eric Adams, whom he claims is compromised by the Justice Department's decision to drop his federal case, and GOP nominee Curtis Sliwa.'The fact is, the president has three candidates in this race,' Mamdani said. 'One that he's directly been in touch with, another that he bailed out of legal trouble and now functionally controls and the final one literally being a member of the same Republican Party.'TRUMP AND CUOMO DENY CLAIMS Sources say White House officials have been reaching out to New York lawmakers and political insiders this week to assess whether Trump should intervene in the race, as polling shows Mamdani leading the field. According to a Wednesday report by The New York Times, Trump and Cuomo allegedly spoke by phone 'in recent weeks,' though both have denied the by reporters, Trump responded, 'No, I haven't,' when asked if he had spoken with Cuomo. Cuomo's team also rejected the report, with spokesman Rich Azzopardi stating in a prepared comment, 'As far as I know, they have not discussed the race.'Zohran Mamdani, who defeated Cuomo in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor, now faces him as an independent candidate in the general election.- EndsTune InMust Watch
UPI
5 days ago
- Politics
- UPI
Mamdani calls alleged Cuomo-Trump conversation 'disqualifying'
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani holds a press conference over an alleged phone conversation between Andrew Cuomo and President Donald Trump regarding the mayoral election outside of 26 Federal Plaza in New York City on Thursday. Photo by Derek French/UPI | License Photo Aug. 7 (UPI) -- New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani says former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo should be disqualified from the race due to an alleged call with the president. That Cuomo recently spoke with President Donald Trump regarding the city's mayoral race is in doubt, but Mamdani called the potential of such a conversation "disqualifying" for Cuomo. "This is not just a shady backroom deal by a cynical politician; it is disqualifying," Mamdani said in a prepared statement on Wednesday. He also held a news conference on Thursday morning and was interviewed by a local radio station to address that matter, despite denials that such a conversation happened between Trump and Cuomo. "The fact is, the president has three candidates in this race," Mandani told WNYC public radio on Thursday morning, as reported by the New York Intelligencer. "One that he's directly been in touch with, another that he bailed out of legal trouble and now functionally controls, and the final one literally being a member of the same Republican Party," Mamdani told WNYC. Trump and Cuomo "in recent weeks" spoke over the phone, but representatives for both have denied it, The New York Times reported on Wednesday. When asked by reporters if he had spoken with Cuomo, Trump said, "No, I haven't." A spokesman for Cuomo, likewise, denied that any recent conversation occurred between Trump and Cuomo. "As far as I know, they have not discussed the race," Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi told the Times in a prepared statement. Mandani defeated Cuomo in the Democratic Party's primary for the New York City mayoral race, but Cuomo has continued his candidacy as an independent. Mayor Eric Adams also seeks re-election as an independent, while Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa is the Republican Party's candidate. The Trump administration recently dropped a federal case against Adams after a grand jury in September indicted him on federal charges accusing Adams of bribery, campaign finance and conspiracy. Trump said the charges against Adams were "politically motivated" due to the mayor's assistance with federal immigration enforcement efforts. Cuomo resigned as New York's governor in 2021 amid an impeachment investigation regarding accusations of sexual harassment. The president has expressed concerns about Mamdani, whom Trump has called a "communist" whose election would be disastrous for New York City. Trump was born and raised in New York City and has property and business interests there. Zohran Mamdani holds a press conference in NYC Democratic New York City Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani holds a press conference outside of 26 Federal Plaza in New York City on August 7, 2025. Photo by Derek French/UPI | License Photo
New York Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Socialist Zohran Mamdani has blistering response to Andrew Cuomo's alleged phone call with Trump: ‘Disqualifying'
Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani quickly seized Thursday on a report that Andrew Cuomo and President Trump had a call in recent weeks — blasting such alleged coordination as 'disqualifying' for a prospective Big Apple mayor. Mamdani contended that New Yorkers won't elect a mayoral candidate who's cozy with the president after the New York Times report that Trump, a Queens native, was eyeing getting involved in the race. The Democratic candidate, during an WNYC interview, claimed Cuomo was 'coordinating with' Trump, calling it 'disqualifying' given the president's supposed attacks on the city. He carried on the critique during a hastily organized rally outside 26 Federal Plaza, where ICE agents have controversially been rounding up immigrants appearing for routine court appearances. Advertisement 'The job of mayor is not to audition to be the jester for a want-to-be king,' Mamdani railed, as he was flanked by union leaders. 'New Yorkers do not want a mayor who is working in tandem with the president to subvert the will of the people of New York City.' 4 Zohran Mamdani on Thursday blasted Andrew Cuomo for allegedly coordinating with President Trump. James Keivom Advertisement Mamdani also argued he was the only candidate worthy of being elected in deep blue New York City, given incumbent Mayor Eric Adams allegedly being compromised by the president's Justice Department scuttling his federal criminal case, and Curtis Sliwa being the GOP nominee. 'The fact is, the president has three candidates in this race,' he said. 'One that he's directly been in touch with, another that he bailed out of legal trouble and now functionally controls and the final one literally being a member of the same Republican Party.' Insiders said White House officials have been actively calling New York lawmakers and politicos this week to figure out if Trump should weigh in on the race as polls show Mamdani is the clear frontrunner. Advertisement The president himself is unsure he should, one source told The Post. Trump thinks Adams is a politically tainted likely 'loser' who cannot win re-election, the source said. He also dislikes Cuomo, despite a relationship going back decades — and ditto for Sliwa, who marches to the beat of a political drum unaligned with MAGA. Trump and Sliwa have a beef going back years that can't be reconciled, sources said. Cuomo's spokesman Rich Azzopardi, in response to the Times report, said the former governor and Trump 'have not spoken in some time.' Advertisement 4 Andrew Cuomo has a long history with Trump. REUTERS 4 President Trump is weighing whether to get involved in the Big Apple's mayoral race. Bonnie Cash – Pool via CNP / MEGA 'As far as I know, they have not discussed the race,' he claimed. Azzopardi argued that Trump would actually prefer Mamdani, whom he has labeled a 'commie,' because his far-left positions would be a boon for Republicans nationwide in the midterm elections. He also attacked Adams — who has cozied up to Trump politically, with mixed success — as a 'wholly owned subsidiary of the President.' Sliwa is also in the race, bearing the standard of Trump's GOP, Azzopardi noted. 'There is only one candidate in this race who can effectively defend New York values and take on Donald Trump – the one official who already has: Andrew Cuomo,' he said. 'We'll leave the palace intrigue to the gossip mill.' 4 Mayor Eric Adams, who has been trying to cozy up to Trump, is viewed by the president as a 'loser' who can't win re-election, a source said. James Keivom Advertisement Trump, despite making gains in New York City during the 2024 election, remains deeply unpopular in his home city. A recent poll found that Trump's unfavorability stands at 62% in the city, while Mamdani is the only mayoral candidate whose favorability wasn't deep underwater.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gillibrand says Mamdani should denounce calls for ‘intifada'
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) called on New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, the apparent Democratic nominee, to denounce the phrase 'globalize the intifada.' Gillibrand said in response to a question from a caller during an appearance on radio host Brian Lehrer's WNYC show that she's heard from New York constituents who are 'alarmed' by some public statements Mamdani has made defending those who call for global intifada. 'This is a very serious issue, because people that glorify the slaughter of Jews create fear in our communities. The global intifada is a statement that means destroy Israel and kill all the Jews,' she argued. 'These are the kinds of things that, if Mr. Mamdani is elected our mayor, will need to assure all New Yorkers that he will protect all Jews and protect houses of worship and protect funding for not-for-profits that meet the needs of these communities,' Gillibrand continued. The meaning of the phrase has caused significant debate, particularly since Hamas's attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and throughout the war that has ensued. It also became a point of criticism directed at Mamdani leading up to this week's Democratic mayoral primary. Many pro-Palestinian activists and many Arab people have said the phrase means Palestinians fighting for their rights and liberation from Israeli occupation. Many pro-Israel activists and many Jewish people view it as calling for violence against Jews, referencing the first and second intifadas that took place in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, during which Palestinians in both Palestinian territories and Israel engaged in an uprising in which significant violence occurred and many on both sides were killed. Mamdani faced criticism as the primary approached over an interview he gave last week in which he said 'what I hear in so many is a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights.' He made a comparison between those calls for intifada and the Warsaw ghetto uprising that took place during the Holocaust in which Jews fought back against the Nazis and some escaped. He cited the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., noting the museum used the word 'intifada' when translating the Warsaw Uprising into Arabic, as intifada means 'struggle.' This led to the museum issuing a rare statement denouncing the comparison, calling it 'offensive to survivors.' Mamdani has responded to the criticism by maintaining he would be a major for all New Yorkers and is committed to protecting his Jewish constituents against rising antisemitism. Gillibrand said she had spoken to him about this issue and that he agreed to work with her to protect all residents of the city. 'These are things that he has assured me in my one conversation that he will protect everyone, but I understand why people are concerned, because of past statements,' she said. 'This is just an issue that I will work with him on, for sure.' Gillibrand also said Mamdani referenced the word 'jihad,' but her communications director later said in a post on X that she misspoke and her concern was Mamdani's refusal to denounce 'globalize the intifada.' 'As a leader of a city as diverse as New York City, with 8 million people, as the largest Jewish population in the country, he should denounce it,' she said, referring to the intifada phrase. 'That's it. Period. You can't celebrate it. You can't value it. You can't lift it up. That is the challenge that Jewish New Yorkers have had certainly since … Oct. 7. It is exactly what they have felt.' Gillibrand said she's not endorsing Mamdani right now but congratulated him on his victory in the primary. The Hill has reached out to Mamdani's campaign for comment. Mamdani seems all but certain to become the Democratic nominee for mayor, scoring a major upset against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The 33-year-old progressive hasn't formally been declared the winner yet, but Cuomo conceded the primary and Mamdani declared victory. Cuomo has been considering whether to continue in the general election as an independent. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Time Out
07-07-2025
- Time Out
The 100-mile-long NYC Century Bike Tour is coming back after six years
Dust off your spandex and grease that chain: the NYC Century Bike Tour is back. After a six-year break, the city's legendary 100-mile ride returns on Sunday, September 21 and New York's cycling community is ready to roll. Billed as the only urban century ride in the U.S., the NYC Century isn't your average park loop. Organized by Transportation Alternatives and revived in partnership with WNYC, this year's tour honors the late Roger Herz, a transit advocate and TA co-founder. His estate helped bring the ride back for a one-time return, now officially called the Roger Herz Memorial NYC Century Bike Tour. Launched in 1990 with just 200 riders, the event grew into a major cycling milestone, attracting over 5,000 participants at its peak. The route covers four boroughs (sorry, Staten Island), with riders cruising through parks, along greenways and across 100 miles of NYC streets—grit, cracks and all. Not ready for the full century? No problem. A 15-mile family-friendly route will be offered, with more options expected to be announced soon. The course won't shut down streets, but it will include marked paths, staffed rest stops and a Finish Festival at the end. Training tips from veterans? You don't need to be in pro-peloton shape, but a decent bike, plenty of carbs and a padded seat go a long way. 'What suffers is your ass,' one rider told Gothamist. Still, it's not about speed—it's about showing up and seeing the city in a new way. Registration is now open: $105 for adults, $60 for children under 14. Rental bikes are available through Bicycle Habitat.
