Cuomo Hammers Mamdani Over Inexperience In Fiery NYC Mayoral Debate

The first New York City mayoral debate erupted Thursday night into a tense and combative showdown between Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo, and Curtis Sliwa, with attacks flying over inexperience, leadership failures, and the looming influence of President Trump.

The opening half-hour quickly turned into a slugfest between Mamdani, 33, the communist, antisemitic Democrat from Queens, and Cuomo, 67, the former governor now running as an independent.

Mamdani repeatedly accused Israel of committing “genocide,” leveling the charge three times within just a few minutes while facing off against rivals Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa.

Cuomo fired back, accusing Mamdani of betraying Democratic values, pointing to Mamdani’s support for the “leave it blank” campaign during the Democratic presidential primaries — a protest against U.S. backing for Israel during the Gaza war.

“I said leave it blank in the presidential primary because primaries are a place to air dissent and like many Americans I was horrified by the Israeli genocide of Palestinians,” Mamdani said.

When pressed about his refusal to call on Hamas to disarm in an earlier interview, Mamdani walked back his stance. “Of course I believe that they should lay down their arms,” he clarified.

“Calling for a ceasefire means ceasing fire, that means all parties have to cease fire and put down their weapons, and the reason that we call for that is not only for the end to the genocide but also unimpeded access of humanitarian aid,” Mamdani continued, sidestepping the question about disarming and framing it as a call for both Israel and Hamas to halt aggression during a ceasefire.

He added that peace must also address deeper political issues. “We also have to ensure that it addresses the conditions that preceded this, conditions like the occupation, the siege and apartheid and that is what I’m hopeful for,” he said.

Mamdani also took aim at Cuomo, condemning him for volunteering to assist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s legal defense before the International Criminal Court “during the course of this genocide.”

Cuomo wasted no time contrasting his decades in public service with Mamdani’s limited resume. “If the assemblyman is elected mayor, Donald Trump will take over New York City and it will be Mayor Trump who runs New York,” Cuomo charged, accusing Mamdani of being dangerously untested.

“He has literally never had a job,” Cuomo continued. “God forbid — a 9/11, a health pandemic — should happen while he’s in office.” He warned that “if you don’t know what you’re doing, people literally will die,” arguing that failed mayors in history have always lacked executive experience. “This is not a job for a first timer,” he said firmly.

Mamdani shot back, blaming Cuomo for what he called catastrophic failures during the COVID-19 pandemic. “And if we have a health pandemic, then why would New Yorkers turn back to the governor who sent senior to their deaths in nursing homes?” he countered.

When Cuomo vowed to stand up to Trump “every step of the way,” Mamdani accused him of hypocrisy, pointing to Cuomo’s mild response when the former president’s Justice Department targeted New York’s attorney general. “Unless he weaponizes the justice system to go after the attorney general of the state, in which case you’ll issue a statement that doesn’t even name the president,” Mamdani jabbed.

Standing between the two feuding candidates, Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa went on the offensive as well, slamming both rivals over bail reform, Raise the Age laws, and plans to close Rikers Island. “Thank God I’m not a professional politician because they have helped create this crime crisis in the city that we face,” Sliwa said.

The WNBC-hosted debate marked the first direct confrontation between Mamdani, Cuomo, and Sliwa in a chaotic race already defined by ideological clashes and personal animosity. A second debate is scheduled for October 22 on NY1.