New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani accused Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman of “bigotry and racism” Tuesday night, even while acknowledging that he had not watched Blakeman’s debate with Gov. Kathy Hochul live.
Mamdani made the remarks to reporters Wednesday, following Hochul and Blakeman’s televised clash the previous evening. Asked whether he was concerned that Hochul had not directly answered Blakeman’s allegation that the New York City mayor is antisemitic, Mamdani defended the governor.
“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,” Mamdani said.
“And I think the governor also made clear, you know, I’ve said that I, 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,” he added.
Mamdani said Blakeman, by contrast, appeared focused on policies that would increase the pressure on working families. “When the governor and I announced putting our city on a pathway to universal childcare, Bruce Blakeman went on television and said this was rewarding lazy parents who would sit at home and watch ‘The View.’ When we were speaking about concerns about what HR1 was going to do with regards to healthcare access across the state, Bruce Blakeman went on television and said that he would cut Medicaid in half.”
The debate began with questions about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. The agency faced fierce criticism in New York City last week after a 28-year-old Dominican national was shot during a targeted operation in the Bronx. The Department of Homeland Security said the man, Oscar Bergal, had failed to follow lawful orders. A 5-year-old boy inside Bergal’s vehicle was not injured.
Here’s the latest on the Bronx ICE shooting:
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“Kathy Hochul appealed to ICE to let this criminal out. The question that New Yorkers have to ask is what was this guy doing in New York in the first place? It’s because Kathy Hochul has made us a sanctuary state,” Blakeman said.
“Think about it. This guy came into the country illegally. He’s been convicted of a crime. He’s got pending charges for dealing drugs, poison to our children. And he’s a gang banger. This is who Kathy Hochul is defending?” Blakeman continued.
Blakeman said he had maintained a cooperative agreement with ICE until Hochul directed officials to end cooperation. “We got over 2,000 illegal migrants out of my county with criminal records ranging from rape, attempted murder, robbery, burglary, drug dealing, carjacking, gang activity.
“And that’s because we cooperated with ICE, and we didn’t raid one school, one hospital, one daycare center or one church. If you cooperate with federal law enforcement, it makes for a safer community. That’s what I did. Kathy Hochul is taking that ability away from us. That’s why things like this happen.”
Hochul dismissed Blakeman’s remarks as a “non-answer,” arguing that he had failed to condemn the ICE shooting.
“So, he basically says in the state of New York, he’d be fine if ICE agents shoot into cars, shoot guns into vehicles, not knowing who’s inside and could have killed a 5-year-old child. If that doesn’t shock the conscience of everybody — and it should shock his conscience as well — that he says, ‘That’s OK, that’s how ICE is supposed to do it,’” Hochul said.
“I’ll tell you what. I oversee over 500 policing agencies in the state of New York. Over half a million arrests every year. That’s not how you conduct yourself. ICE is out of control. It’s out of control in Nassau County,” she added.
Blakeman rejected Hochul’s criticism, arguing that the incident “never would have happened” without what he called her “sanctuary policy.”
Fox News’ Greg Norman contributed to this report.
