Zohran Mamdani issues apology to NYPD for calling them ‘racist' and 'corrupt’

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani apologized to the New York Police Department (NYPD) during his interview with Fox News on Wednesday, October 15, for his past criticisms of the police force, where he called them “racist,” “wicked,” and “corrupt”

Mamdani also addressed Trump directly, expressing his willingness to discuss the cost of living with him.

Zohran Mamdani's apology to NYPD

When asked if he would issue a public apology to them, Mamdani told Fox News’ Martha MacCallum, “Absolutely, I’ll apologize to police officers right here because this is the apology that I’ve been sharing with many rank-and-file officers.” 

“And I apologize because of the fact that I’m looking to work with these officers. And I know that these officers, these men and women who serve in the NYPD, they put their lives on the line every single day,” he added. 

Zohran Mamdani's past criticisms of the NYPD

Mamdani’s statement against the police force came following the death of George Floyd, a man of color who was murdered by a White police officer in Minneapolis, which led to a massive public outrage over criminal justice and racial inequality.

Mamdani took to X (formerly X), criticising NYPD for the incident, “We don’t need an investigation to know that the NYPD is racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety.

What we need is to #DefundTheNYPD,” Mamdani said in June 2020 in a response to another user’s post that has since been deleted. “But your deal with @NYCMayor uses budget tricks to keep as many cops as possible on the beat. NO to fake cuts – defund the police.” 

In December that year, Mamdani again urged the defunding of the NYPD after a ProPublica report on its handling of sex trade laws, calling the department “wicked” and “corrupt”. 

Mamdani has moved away from these remarks, saying that they were made out of frustration and no longer wants to defund the police. Last month, he apologized to about two dozen officers, expressing regret for his language and wanting to work with them to improve public safety. 

Zohran Mamdani's address to Trump

At one point in the interview, Mamdani looked into the camera to address Trump, who had threatened to cut federal funds to New York City and have him arrested if he became the mayor. 

“I want to take this moment because you spoke about President Trump, and he may be watching right now, and I just want to speak directly to the president,” Mamdani said, adding he will be “a mayor who’s ready to speak at any time to lower the cost of living.”