Andrew Cuomo believes Monday’s mass taking pictures in Midtown Manhattan will deliver public security to the forefront of this yr’s mayoral race — and is already citing the tragedy in portray Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani as somebody who could be ill-equipped to supervise the NYPD.
New York Metropolis mayoral candidate and former New York governor Andrew Cuomo speaks throughout an election occasion following the primaries on the Carpenters Union in New York Metropolis on June 24, 2025. (Photograph by JOHN LAMPARSKI/AFP through Getty Pictures)
Within the interview, Cuomo argued points associated to public security are political weak spots for Mamdani and affirmed he plans to start out calling out his previous rhetoric about policing as the final election season heats up.
Having vowed to run a extra aggressive normal election marketing campaign after dropping final month’s Democratic mayoral main to Mamdani by a 12% margin, Cuomo even questioned whether or not his opponent’s condolences for the NYPD officer killed in Monday’s taking pictures have been real.
“[Mamdani] said that today because it was in his political interest, but everything he has said for years is the exact opposite,” mentioned Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 amid sexual {and professional} misconduct accusations he now denies.
The ex-gov continued: “You do a 180 right after this incident … and it’s just coincidental that the election is a few months away? Do you buy that?”
Cuomo was referring to an X publish Mamdani put out Monday by which he, partly, wrote he was “grateful” for the cops and different emergency personnel who earlier within the day had responded to 345 Park Ave., the place officers say suspect Shane Tamura fatally shot NYPD officer Didarul Islam and three others earlier than killing himself.
NYPD officers are pictured outdoors 345 Park Ave. Tuesday, July 29, 2025, in Manhattan, New York. (Barry Williams/New York Day by day Information)
Mamdani, a democratic socialist, embraced sharply completely different rhetoric in regards to the NYPD throughout the Black Lives Matter protests that erupted in 2020 within the wake of the homicide of George Floyd.
In social media posts on the time, Mamdani wrote town ought to “defund” and “dismantle” NYPD, blasting the division as “racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety.”
“Oh, really, Officer Islam was racist?” Cuomo mentioned Tuesday. “Who’s going to apply to be a police officer when that’s what the mayor thinks of them?”
Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks at his main election occasion, Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in New York. (AP Photograph/Heather Khalifa)
Mamdani, who’s in Uganda visiting household this week, wasn’t out there for an interview Tuesday, however his spokeswoman Zara Rahim blasted Cuomo for utilizing the taking pictures as fodder for a political assault.
“Families across our city are mourning — including members of our Muslim community grieving an officer who leaves behind his pregnant wife and young children. Multiple victims remain in the hospital, fighting for their lives,” Rahim mentioned.
“Our focus is on supporting those who’ve lost loved ones and bringing our communities together in the face of tragedy. This is a moment for compassion and solidarity — not cheap shots in the press.”
NYPD and New York State Police reply to reviews of an lively shooter at 51st St. and Park Ave. in Manhattan on July 28, 2025. (Barry Williams/New York Day by day Information)
Mayor Adams, who’s additionally operating as an impartial in November’s election after having dropped out of the Democratic main amid fallout from his federal indictment, agreed with Mamdani’s marketing campaign.
Since launching his mayoral bid, Mamdani has shifted gears rhetorically on policing, saying he wouldn’t defund the NYPD as mayor. As a substitute, he has vowed he’d preserve the division’s officer headcount flat and launch a brand new group security company centered on serving to folks with psychological sickness with a purpose to let cops give attention to combating crime.
However Cuomo, who has pledged to as mayor rent 5,000 new NYPD officers, mentioned he doesn’t belief Mamdani would make good on these guarantees.
“I don’t believe that pointing to one statement counteracts 10 years of activism and hundreds of tweets,” mentioned Cuomo.
As governor, Cuomo voiced solidarity in 2020 with components of the Black Lives Matter motion and signed an govt order that threatened to tug state funding from police departments that didn’t take steps to reform their use-of-force protocols to make sure accountability and to guard civil rights.
However on Tuesday, Cuomo struck a distinct tone, arguing the anti-police sentiment that took root in 2020 was harmful.
“That whole movement was wrong and did tremendous damage and today is a reality check on that,” he mentioned.
Mamdani is polling as the favourite to win November’s election after operating a main marketing campaign centered on affordability that included pledges to freeze lease for stabilized tenants, drastically broaden backed childcare and make public buses free.
Policing was not a significant theme of Mamdani’s marketing campaign, and Cuomo in addition to Adams are more likely to come after him over that situation this fall.
Cuomo saved some criticism for Adams in relation to the Midtown taking pictures as effectively.
Touting that, as governor, he signed laws that banned assault rifles in New York, Cuomo questioned why Adams hasn’t as mayor tried to do extra to rally native elected officers across the nation to push Congress to enact stricter gun management legal guidelines on the federal degree.
“I haven’t heard or seen him doing that,” Cuomo mentioned.
In his assertion, Adams mentioned Cuomo is mistaken, noting his administration “has convened national meetings with mayors from cities most impacted by gun violence.”
“This is not a moment for finger-pointing. It’s a moment to honor our heroes, support their families, and recommit ourselves to the hard work of keeping our cities safe,” he mentioned.
Initially Revealed: July 29, 2025 at 2:24 PM EDT
