Andrew Cuomo slams ‘first-timer’ Zohran Mamdani in NYC mayoral face-off: ‘Never had a job’

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: During a fiery New York City mayoral debate on Thursday, October 16, Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo, and Curtis Sliwa went head-to-head in a heated exchange.

The discussion quickly turned tense as candidates sparred over leadership and experience, with Cuomo taking the most aggressive stance.

Andrew Cuomo challenges Zohran Mamdani’s experience during mayoral debate

Andrew Cuomo targeted Zohran Mamdani, warning that if he became mayor, Donald Trump would “take over” New York City. He mocked Mamdani’s lack of political and real-world experience, saying he had “literally never had a job.” Cuomo also called Mamdani a “first-timer.”

Cuomo raised scenarios like “9/11” and “a health pandemic” to argue that Mamdani would be unprepared to handle major crises. “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 said. “He has literally never had a job. God forbid a 9/11 or a health pandemic happens while he’s in office.

Cuomo continued his attack, warning of dire consequences if an untested leader took charge. “If you don’t know what you’re doing, people literally will die,” he said, adding that failed mayors throughout history were often those without executive experience. “This is not a job for a first-timer.”

Andrew Cuomo outlines Zohran Mamdani’s lack of leadership experience

Building on his critique, Cuomo detailed what he viewed as gaps in Mamdani’s résumé. “He’s never dealt with a City Council, he’s never dealt with Congress, he’s never negotiated with a union, he’s never built anything, he’s never dealt with a natural emergency, a hurricane, or a flood,” Cuomo said.

“He’s never done any of the essentials, and now you have Donald Trump on top of all that,” he added. “To put a person in this seat at this time with no experience is reckless and dangerous.”

Zohran Mamdani hits back at Andrew Cuomo’s pandemic record

Zohran Mamdani didn’t stay quiet for long. He fired back, accusing Andrew Cuomo of failed leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, which he said led to unnecessary deaths. “And if we have a health pandemic, then why would New Yorkers turn back to the governor who sent seniors to their deaths in nursing homes?” Mamdani said, as reported by the New York Post.

The debate turned sharper when Donald Trump’s name came up. Cuomo vowed to “fight the president every step of the way” if Trump tried to harm New York. Mamdani seized the moment, calling out Cuomo’s muted response when Trump’s Justice Department targeted Attorney General Letitia James.

“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 shot back.