Controversial Public Statements by Zohran Mamdani
New York Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani’s political journey has been marked by sweeping ideological turns and fierce public debate. Once known for his radical calls to “defund” and “dismantle” the NYPD, Mamdani has spent the 2025 campaign season walking back some of his most controversial remarks. His statements on policing, prisons, housing, historical monuments, and international affairs have sparked outrage, admiration, and introspection — painting a portrait of a politician caught between activism and accountability.
Policing and Criminal Justice
2020 (campaign tweets/debate): Mamdani repeatedly called to “Defund” or even “dismantle” the NYPD. For example, on June 28, 2020 he tweeted, “We don’t need an investigation to know that the NYPD is racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety. … DefundTheNYPD. NO to fake cuts – defund the police,” and later wrote, “There is no negotiating with an institution this wicked & corrupt. Defund it. Dismantle it. End the cycle of violence.” foxnews.comfoxnews.com. He also labeled the department a “rogue agency” and demanded “Defund this rogue agency” police1.com. In interviews he voiced similar views: on a 2020 podcast he questioned the point of prisons (see below) and said police should not be first responders for issues like domestic abuse foxnews.com.
Reactions: Police unions, GOP politicians, and even fellow Democrats condemned these remarks. NYPD-school officers’ union head Gregory Floyd called Mamdani’s shift “too late now” matzav.com. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (at the time Mamdani’s Democratic primary opponent) derided him as a “champagne socialist” and said Mamdani’s ideas were “garbage” washingtonpost.com. Republican rival Curtis Sliwa called his comments “preposterous” and insisted “of course we need jails” to keep the city safe timesofindia.indiatimes.com. By mid-2025, facing public scrutiny, Mamdani began backing off his defund rhetoric: in debates he asserted, “I will not defund the police. I will work with the police… because I believe the police have a critical role to play in public safety” foxnews.com. In October 2025 he publicly apologized on Fox News to NYPD officers for his 2020 language, saying he wants to “work with these officers” who “put their lives on the line every single day” police1.com.
Domestic Violence Comment (2020): In an August 2020 interview on the Immigrantly podcast, Mamdani suggested police should not handle domestic violence. He said situations like “someone… going through domestic violence” would be “far better handled by people trained to deal with those specific situations, as opposed to an individual with a gun” foxnews.com. Critics said this downplayed the need for police intervention in abuse cases. Fox News highlighted these remarks in July 2025, noting Mamdani “once said he didn’t believe calling the police was an appropriate response” to domestic violencefoxnews.com.
Prisons/Jails (2020–2025): Mamdani also repeatedly questioned the role of incarceration. In an August 2020 podcast he asked, “What purpose do [prisons] serve, besides making people feel good?” ndtv.com. He similarly tweeted, “White supremacy has many faces, from the police & prison systems in America…” timesofindia.indiatimes.com, linking U.S. jails to broader social oppression. In July 2025 these comments resurfaced, provoking sharp rebukes. Republican Sliwa said Mamdani’s view was “absolutely preposterous” and insisted that jails are needed to protect public safety timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Law enforcement commentators argued Mamdani’s stance reflected “out-of-touch” elitism. The Times of India reported New York cops’ anger over his prison comments, with one officer noting that society’s safety depends on locking up dangerous people timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Mamdani defended himself by citing frustration over George Floyd’s murder, but critics said his rhetoric encouraged rising crime.
New York Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani campaigning in 2025. His past calls to defund/dismantle police (e.g. “Defund the police,” “NYPD is racist, anti-queer…”) drew intense backlashfoxnews.com.
Housing and Property Rights
Aug 2020 (podcast interview): Mamdani argued for very aggressive public housing measures. On the “Far Left Show” podcast he said that any system guaranteeing housing for all—even if it meant “abolishing private property”—would be preferable to the status quo ndtv.com. He explained, “My platform is that every single person should have housing… I care more about whether somebody has a home” ndtv.com. In other words, he was willing to entertain Marxist ideas of eliminating private property to solve homelessness.
Reactions: This sparked a firestorm. New York Post and Fox News described him as advocating a “communist manifesto” on housing. Republican leaders denounced him: Rep. Mike Lawler warned his comments were “dangerous and un-American” and would bring “economic chaos” ndtv.com. GOP State Chairman Nick Langworthy told Fox News that Mamdani was “promoting extreme communist ideas, like getting rid of private property” ndtv.com. City Journal and the Manhattan Institute published critical analyses warning that a city of seizing property or rigid rent controls would be disastrous. Mamdani’s allies responded that these quotes were being taken out of context: he said he supported guarantees and freezes, not outright seizure. In fact, in 2023 he had revised his position to accept a role for private development (telling the NYT he now sees “a very important role” for the private market in housing) aljazeera.com. Nonetheless, the abolish property remark was repeatedly cited in news coverage as emblematic of his radical stance ndtv.comfoxnews.com.
Historical Figures and Monuments
June 18, 2020 (Twitter photo): A photograph of Mamdani flipping off a Christopher Columbus statue in Astoria resurfaced during the 2025 race. His tweet said simply, “Take it down,” calling for removal of the statue ndtv.com. This provoked outrage among Italian-American community leaders. Angelo Vivolo, president of the Columbus Heritage Coalition, vowed to oppose Mamdani’s candidacy, saying “We will defend Columbus Day and Columbus statues” ndtv.com. Vivolo added: “He is being disrespectful to the Italian American community. If you offend one community, you offend all communities.”ndtv.com. Joseph Scelsa (Italian American Museum) likewise criticized Mamdani for calling Columbus a villain, saying “Columbus is our hero” ndtv.com.
Reactions: This incident drew front-page attention. Fox News headlined “Mamdani photo sparks firestorm” foxnews.com and quoted Vivolo’s denunciation. Commentators (and some Democratic strategists) fretted that alienating Italian-American voters (8% of NYC) would hurt Mamdani. Even his fellow Democrat Andrew Cuomo (then campaigning against Mamdani for Mayor) called the gesture “shameful” and evidence Mamdani was not a mainstream candidate washingtonpost.com. Despite the backlash, Mamdani stood by his action as protesting colonial legacy. (Image: In one photo [84], Mamdani appears on the left while the blurred Columbus statue is on the right – captioned in news coverage as “Mamdani flipped off a Columbus statue” foxnews.com.)
International/Foreign Affairs (Israel/Palestine)
Dec 2024 (MSNBC interview): On “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace” with Mehdi Hasan, Mamdani vowed that if elected Mayor he would “arrest” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upon his visit. He explained, “No. As mayor, New York City would arrest Benjamin Netanyahu… our values are in line with international law. It’s time that our actions are also.” foxnews.com. This referenced ICC arrest warrants issued for Netanyahu. His statement made national news. Rep. Jerry Nadler said New York has “no jurisdiction” to enforce ICC warrants katu.com. The New York Times noted Democratic allies were “confused” by the pledge. Mamdani defended it as a stance for accountability.
2024–2025 (Gaza War commentary): Mamdani took strong pro-Palestinian positions. In May 2024 he tweeted: “We have watched as our tax dollars have funded a genocide [in Gaza]… The moral and human cost will be a lasting stain on our democracy”katu.com. At a 2025 debate he used the word “genocide” repeatedly: “I was horrified by the Israeli genocide of Palestinians,” he said, emphasizing repeated accusations of genocide timesofisrael.com. Earlier he had refused to publicly repudiate the chant “Globalize the intifada”, drawing criticism; by the October 2025 debate he told Jewish voters he now “would discourage” that phrase as insensitive timesofisrael.com. He condemned Hamas as terrorists and called for ceasefires, but placed responsibility on occupation conditions (mentioning “apartheid” in Gaza timesofisrael.com).
Reactions: Mamdani’s Israel statements alarmed some Jewish and centrist Democrats. Politico noted conservative Jewish leaders were “appalled” washingtonpost.com. Cuomo repeatedly called Mamdani “out of step” and suggested only “leave it blank” (no vote) in the presidential primary to protest Israel timesofisrael.com. Nadler, in a Times interview, said Mamdani’s Netanyahu remark was “unrealistic” (telling NYT it was “simply unrealistic” to think NYC could enforce an ICC warrant) foxnews.com. Muslim and progressive activists praised Mamdani’s stance. The New Yorker and Times noted that younger Democrats rallied behind his critique of Israel. Overall, the controversy was widely covered in October 2025, with outlets citing his quotes (e.g. “Israeli genocide”, “arrest Netanyahu”).
Social Media and Identity Controversies
Aug 6, 2020 (Twitter): Mamdani wrote, “White supremacy has many faces, from the police & prison systems in America to occupation & apartheid in Palestine.” timesofindia.indiatimes.com. This conflated U.S. racism with Israeli policies. Police and conservative commentators pounced on the tweet as inflammatory and divisive. Law enforcement figures called it “out-of-touch” for equating NYPD with fascism timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Supporters said he was highlighting systemic injustice globally.
July 2025 (college application revelation): The New York Times reported Mamdani had identified as both “Asian” and “Black or African American” on his 2009 Columbia University application hindustantimes.comhindustantimes.com. Opponents charged he had abused affirmative-action rules. Mamdani replied that he had “checked multiple boxes trying to capture the fullness” of his Indian-Ugandan background and does not “identify as African-American, but as an ‘American born in Africa’” hindustantimes.com. New York City Mayor Eric Adams (running for re-election) called his use of “African American identity… a checkbox of convenience” and said the claim was “deeply offensive” hindustantimes.com. Cuomo’s campaign said the matter “must be fully investigated.” Mamdani said he was being honest about his roots. Polls later suggested many saw this as a minor issue once explained.
Summary of Key Quotes (source citations):
“We don’t need an investigation to know that the NYPD is racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety… NO to fake cuts – defund the police.” (June 2020 tweet) foxnews.com.
“What purpose do [prisons] serve, besides making people feel good?” (Aug 2020 podcast) ndtv.com.
“If any system guaranteed housing to everyone, even if it meant abolishing private property, it is preferable to what is going on right now.” (Aug 2020 podcast) ndtv.com.
“Take it down.” (June 18, 2020 tweet by Mamdani while giving the middle finger to a Columbus statue) ndtv.com.
“As mayor, New York City would arrest Benjamin Netanyahu. This is a city that our values are in line with international law.” (Dec 2024 interview) foxnews.com.
“We have watched as our tax dollars have funded a genocide.” (May 2024 tweet on Gaza war) katu.com.
“I was horrified by the Israeli genocide of Palestinians.” (Oct 2025 debate) timesofisrael.com.
“Most college applications don’t have a box for Indian-Ugandans, so I checked multiple boxes trying to capture the fullness of my background.” (July 2025, to NYT) hindustantimes.com.
