NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani slams Blakeman after New York governor debate

Morgan, what is the mayor saying in the wake of the debate today? Hey, Frances. So Mayor Zohran Mamdani making an announcement here at NYU, but also responding to comments made on the debate stage about him last night. Now, since taking office, Mayor Mamdani has garnered national attention from candidates on both sides. But last night during the gubernatorial debates, Governor Kathy Hochul focused heavily on President Donald Trump. But Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman didn't mention Mamdani until about 45 minutes into the hour-long debate. Towards the end, Blakeman was asked about comments he made to Hasidic leaders in Brooklyn that Mamdani would allow riots to hit Jewish communities. Zohran Mamdani is an anti-Semite. The first thing he did as mayor, with all the issues that face New York City, the first thing he did was sign an executive order to water down the definition of anti-Semitism. Shame on you, mayor. I stand with the men and women in blue every day of the week. I know how hard they work. They put their lives on the line. And I support the leadership of Jessica Tisch. But for you to say that they would stand down is just insulting. Now, Blakeman and his comments to Jewish leaders claim that both Mayor Mamdani and Governor Hochul wouldn't stop rioters from burning down yeshivas and raping Jewish women. Hochul didn't mention Mamdani, but she said the NYPD would never allow that to happen. We asked Mamdani what he thought of Blakeman's comments and the fact that Hochul didn't come to his defense. So I think, you know, it is hard for anyone to keep up with all of the bigotry and racism that Bruce Blakeman exhibits on a regular basis. So I think that the governor did a good job and I'll never fault someone for not being able to catch all of it because that is a fool's errand when it comes to Bruce Blakeman. And I think the governor also made clear. You know, I said that I didn't watch the debate beyond the clip, but I think the governor has made clear time and time again what her vision is. It's a vision of a more affordable New York. Now, as you heard there, the mayor said he didn't watch the debate last night. He only watched a clip. It was the only governor's debate, so hopefully a few more people watched it last night. But we'll have more on the debate in our later shows. Reporting live, I'm Morgan McKay. Frances, back to you. Morgan, with the mayor's reaction just happening. Thank you, Morgan.