THOUGHTCRIME Ep. 101 — The New York City Communist Debate? MAGA vs. Mamdani? Medal of Freedom Reactions

Summary

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Human Events Daily with Jack Posobiec — Thoughtcrime Ep. 101

The New York City Communist Debate? MAGA vs. Mamdani? Medal of Freedom Reactions

Date: October 18, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode of Human Events Daily is a packed, high-energy breakdown and live commentary on the pivotal 2025 New York City mayoral debate, featuring candidates Andrew Cuomo (Independent), Zoran Mamdani (Democratic Socialist), and Curtis Sliwa (Republican). Jack Posobiec and his rotating panel—including Andrew Colvin, Cliff Maloney, Tyler Boyer, and Mikey McCoy—offer real-time analysis with their trademark banter, contextualizing the debate’s implications for New York, American culture, and the trajectory of the Democratic Party.

Interwoven throughout are tributes to Charlie Kirk’s legacy, Medal of Freedom reactions, and hard-hitting cultural commentary about the state and future of New York and the broader American political landscape.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Show Opening: Camaraderie, Preview, and Comic Relief

• Jack Posobiec and Andrew Colvin set the tone with inside jokes and friendly digs (00:22–03:35), discussing their excitement for the upcoming mayoral debate and previewing the show's topics, including Charlie Kirk’s Medal of Freedom ceremony.
• Banter about Blake leaving for family (a relative becoming a nun) provides comic relief before diving into the heavier content.

“We’re just full doxing him…there’s a chance that Blake might be joining a nunnery. We’re not entirely sure, yeah. Because this audience has completely failed to get him married up.” —Jack Posobiec & Andrew Colvin [02:02]

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2. Reactions to Charlie Kirk’s Medal of Freedom Ceremony

• Cliff Maloney joins to share observations about the ceremony, emphasizing Charlie’s role as a bridge between generations of conservative media.

“Seeing [Trump] interact with Erica, to me, kind of brings out the grandfather in him…very delicate and somber and sweet…it just makes him kind of a whole person to me.” —Cliff Maloney [06:09]

• Panel discusses the generational handoff among conservative media icons (Rush Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck, etc.), highlighting Charlie Kirk’s unique ability to bring disparate factions together.

“Charlie was the bridge…he brought people together that otherwise wouldn’t be together. And you saw that on full display.” —Andrew Colvin [12:24]

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3. Previewing the NYC Mayoral Debate

• The debate is framed as a bellwether for broader American urban politics—Communism/DSA vs. establishment Dems vs. law-and-order Republicans.
• Panel previews polling status: Mamdani (Socialist) leading, Cuomo trailing, Sliwa low but possibly a spoiler.

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4. Medal Ceremony, Turning Point, and ‘Authenticity’

• Clips from the ceremony and Erica Kirk’s speech highlight the need for courage, stewardship, and authentic leadership.
• Notable line on viral engagement from Charlie Kirk (referencing the Turning Point model): “If they give you an hour, do 5-10 minutes of remarks and the rest questions…because the questions go viral.” —Jack Posobiec quoting Charlie Kirk’s advice [23:18]

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5. The NYC Mayoral Debate: Live Reaction and Commentary (39:16–155:00 onward)

Themes and Highlights:

a. Candidate Contrasts and Opening Volleys

• Opening questions push each candidate to outline their headline accomplishment after one year in office.
  • Cuomo: “rent down, crime down, education scores up…” [39:42]
  • Sliwa: “Curtis Sliwa exceeds expectations and looks very mayoral tonight.” [40:34]
  • Mamdani: “Mamdani continues to take on Trump, delivers on affordability agenda…” [40:45]
• Early attacks fly about management experience and records, with sharp retorts regarding Cuomo’s COVID record and Mamdani’s progressive bona fides.

b. Trump as Unseen Debater

• Debate ties city issues to the specter of President Trump, especially regarding federal funding, ICE cooperation, and culture wars.

“If he comes after New York, he knows what I’m going to do. It's going to be ugly… I will fight you every step of the way.” —Andrew Cuomo [48:51] “He’s already suspending infrastructure grants to this city…If he wants to come for New Yorkers…he’s going to have to get through me.” —Zoran Mamdani [48:00]

c. Israel-Hamas, Antisemitism, and Cultural Tension

• Moderators press Mamdani on refusing to condemn slogans like “globalize the intifada” and his prior support for figures with links to terrorism.
• Cuomo repeatedly accuses Mamdani of being anti-Semitic and soft on terrorism, while Mamdani positions himself as a uniter and the city’s “first Muslim mayor” [60:25].

“If we have a health pandemic, then why would New Yorkers turn back to the governor who sent seniors to their death in nursing homes?” —Zoran Mamdani [173:29]

“What I don’t have in experience, I make up for in integrity. And what you don’t have in integrity, you can never make up for in experience.” —Zoran Mamdani [173:44]

d. Policing, Crime, and Mental Health

• Cuomo and Sliwa push for more police, traditional enforcement, and reinforcing NYPD morale.
• Mamdani details a Department of Community Safety—expanding social worker response to non-violent crises, referencing models in Eugene, Oregon [82:21, 145:11].

“The Department of Community Safety is not about responding to calls of domestic violence. We are speaking about mental health crisis and the homelessness crisis.” —Zoran Mamdani [87:29]

e. Affordability and Housing

• Mamdani doubles down on rent freezes, city-run grocery stores, child care, free buses, and heavy corporate and millionaire tax increases.
• Critics (Cuomo, Sliwa, moderators) call the spending plan unsupported and fantastical (“It’s a fantasy. Let’s deal with the reality.” —Curtis Sliwa [102:04])

f. “Authenticity” and American Values

• Extended exchange on what ‘authenticity’ means in leadership.
• Panel later notes that voters increasingly care about perceived authenticity, not just policy substance—“Authenticity without virtue is just narcissism in disguise.” —Charlie Kirk, cited in debate review [27:31]

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6. Debate Review & Conservative Takeaways

• The Thoughtcrime panel’s post-debate dissection focuses on three points:
  • Mamdani’s likability and polish: Panelists agree that Mamdani came off as calm, direct, and camera-savvy, especially compared to Cuomo and Sliwa [164:18, 165:30]
  • Cuomo’s failed pivot to ‘change candidate’: Seen as “unlikeable,” out-of-touch, and vulnerable for his COVID and establishment baggage [174:28–175:15].
  • Conservatives “Missed the Moment”: Lack of tough pushback on Mamdani’s radicalism and inability to effectively frame the consequences of left-wing leadership worried the panel.

“Cuomo’s answer was so bad, they tried to give the old man a second chance.” —Cliff Maloney [171:03]

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7. Broader Cultural and Political Critiques

• Panel delves into implications of Mamdani’s lead for urban American “Islamization” and the left’s “valorization of the outgroup,” referencing Europe and London as cautionary tales [180:23–184:38].
• Topics include demographic shifts, DSA’s influence, and the retreat of traditional, multi-generational public servants from cities.
• Concern over Mamdani potentially being “the face of the Democratic Party in America.” [188:25]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Evolution of the Democratic Party:

  “This represents the Democratic Party today—every answer, who am I not allowed to offend?” —Cliff Maloney [161:25]

• On the Dangers of Normalizing Radical Change:

  “Authenticity without virtue is just narcissism in disguise.” —Charlie Kirk (quoted, 27:31) “Assimilation is a necessity, not a suggestion.” —Curtis Sliwa (via Charlie Kirk TikTok, 189:34)

• On Urban Decline:

  “We’re going to see just a complete departure and representation of what New York City looks like…that’s what the next 20 years is probably going to look like because Mamdani is just the beginning.” —Tyler Boyer [204:41]

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Important Timestamps

• 00:22–03:35: Opening banter & show preview
• 06:09–12:27: Medal of Freedom and Charlie Kirk legacy discussion
• 23:18–25:51: Debate preview, focus on authenticity, importance of Q&A format
• 39:16–155:57: Full NYC mayoral debate
• 158:06–170:34: Immediate post-debate reactions, panel member impressions
• 176:42–179:40: Cuomo’s debate missteps and missed opportunities to attack Mamdani
• 180:23–184:38: Mosque/Islamization, demographic change, reflections on New York
• 188:25–190:50: On DSA/Communism, cultural values, and the coming generational shift

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Closing Tone & Summary

• The episode is quintessential Human Events Daily: irreverent but substantive, blending humor, cultural alarm, and tactical political analysis. Despite the seriousness of the leftward lurch in New York, the panel maintains their “Thoughtcrime” spirit—insisting the best response is to keep speaking truth, organizing locally, and preparing for political and cultural battles ahead.

“As always, go out there and commit more thought crime.” —Jack Posobiec [212:37]

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For listeners—this episode is a dense, energetic tutorial on the stakes of New York City politics, the future of the Democratic Party, and the continuing fight for American values in an era of rapid social change and cultural upheaval.

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Transcript

[Rosarina Breton]

From the age of Big Brother.

[David Ushery]

If they want to get you, they'll get you.

[Zoran Mamdani]

DNSA specifically targets the communications of everyone.

[David Ushery]

They're collecting your communications.

[Jack Posobiec]

Hey everybody, we got Jack Posobic and Andrew Colvin and we are here live in studio for once for Thought Crime Thursday. What's up, Andrew?

[Andrew Colvin]

Not much, actually. A lot, A little bit. But I feel like that's what you say.

[Jack Posobiec]

It is what you say.

[Andrew Colvin]

But I love, I actually love Thought crime because now that I have to sort of play. Play driver for the Charlie Kirk show, it's nice because you, you do this.

[Jack Posobiec]

Because I have to do it. Yeah, exactly. No, but well, well today, tonight there's going to be a ton of thought crimes because what we're going to be doing tonight is going to. The Mamdani debate is coming up and we all know how much Charlie was a huge fan of mandaminomics and madamism and he just was so, you know, so enthralled with the idea that this race communist cultural Marxist was about to take over the city of New York. And obviously we're joking, but you know, tonight is the big debate and, and we've got a three way debate. What we're going to do now Andrew's got a flight so we wanted to come on a little bit, have a chat with him, preview the debate. Then at some point he's going to bounce. We're going to stream the debate. So don't turn off this stream. We will carry the debate in full. And yes, I will make sure that Blake does not come on and interrupt. Unfortunately, we actually don't have Blake because Blake is on. Blake is on assignment.

[Andrew Colvin]

Well, hold on. Actually, Blake's assignment is pretty cool. He has a family member getting. Taking the vows. She's going to become a nun.

[Jack Posobiec]

She's going to become a nun.

[Andrew Colvin]

Which is like so cool. And Blake, so this was like Blake months ago was like, hey, you know, I got to go to Italy for, you know, family members taking the vows.

[Jack Posobiec]

And I was like, okay, so we're just full doxing him.

[Zoran Mamdani]

All right.

[Andrew Colvin]

I was like, I was, I was like, just go for it, bro. Just go, just go. And then everything happened and he was like.

[Jack Posobiec]

And it was all, you know, pre scheduled.

[Andrew Colvin]

Yeah, yeah, I still want to go. And I was like, I still want you to go. So, so please go. And then, you know, so there's a.

[Jack Posobiec]

Chance that Blake might be joining a nunnery. We're not entirely sure.

[Andrew Colvin]

Yeah. Because this audience has completely failed to get him married up.

[Jack Posobiec]

So we've tried.

[Andrew Colvin]

Freedom charliekirk.com Please send your dating.

[Jack Posobiec]

There's been some false starts. Also, please send your super bowl halftime requests. Freedom charliekirk.com I know a lot of people have been sending in emails all throughout the week, and we've seen some very, very interesting requests, but again, we are, we're accepting those requests with arms wide open. And all I can say is hold me now because the news is coming. And, you know, I just heard the news today, as a matter of fact, so, you know, we're really going to be. We're really excited. We're really looking forward to the event.

[Andrew Colvin]

Jack has zero opinions on.

[Jack Posobiec]

No, it's your opinions whatsoever who should be. No, I mean, it's just, you know, cultural relevance and, and, you know, incredibly popular accent with, with, you know, international renowned. But, you know, whatever, whatever. We can pick whoever. It's no, it's no big deal. And, and look like, all I'm saying is if you want the event to be taken higher, if you want this event.

[Andrew Colvin]

Okay.

[Curtis Sliwa]

All right.

[Andrew Colvin]

How do you go? How deep from the, the hit list are we going to go here?

[Tyler Boyer]

All the way?

[Andrew Colvin]

Is this the, this the greatest hits, Jack?

[Jack Posobiec]

Well, we could go. We could go six feet from the edge if you want. It's not that far down, Jack.

[Andrew Colvin]

I mean, I'm going to get you a playlist with some other acts on it just, just so you could branch.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Out a little bit.

[Jack Posobiec]

But. So we're, so we're going to do that. We're going to show it.

[Tyler Boyer]

But.

[Jack Posobiec]

And then Tyler's going to join us. Tyler is at a thing right now. He's going to come in later. He's on assignment.

[Andrew Colvin]

We are making this work.

[Jack Posobiec]

We're going to make it all.

[Andrew Colvin]

We're making this work. I got to catch a flight. Tyler's traveling around the world trying to orchestrate our 2026 turning point action plan. So God bless him for that. And, but we also are going to talk about the, the Medal of Freedom ceremony. We really haven't done that together.

[Jack Posobiec]

No. But we do also have a special guest joining us. Believe we have him. Believe we have him coming in remote. We have Cliff Maloney. Guys, do we have Cliff?

[Cliff Maloney]

Howdy.

[Jack Posobiec]

How so, Cliff, you, you, you know, you were with us on election night. You know, you've been with us through thick and thin. You got the hat on. Of the greatest football team in American history. Of course, the Philippines.

[Cliff Maloney]

Yes.

[Jack Posobiec]

Super Bowl. Super bowl champions. You know, they. We're giving some other teams, you know, a chance here. Megyn Kelly, by the way, was roasting me yesterday for that loss to the Giants, and I was just.

[Cliff Maloney]

It was.

[Jack Posobiec]

It was very painful. It was very painful. And then Andrew was roasting us because we. What, the three. Three teams in one night?

[Andrew Colvin]

Well, it was. Yeah, you guys had the clean sweep, and the Dodgers won the series.

[Jack Posobiec]

Andrew's Dodgers won the series three to.

[Andrew Colvin]

One, and now we're up to two to nothing on the Brewers. And by the way, I want everybody to know, out of respect for Charlie, had the Cubs overcome the brewers and faced off with the Dodgers, I would have. I would have. For Charlie, I would have been a Cubs fan for one nlcs.

[Jack Posobiec]

See, I might. I might actually be rooting for the Dodgers now because my dad used to always say that if you got beat, then you might as well say, well, we got beaten by the champs, right? So we got beaten by the best. So I'm. But I'm not. I'm not. I'm not sold on that yet. But, no, you know, and Cliff, you know, you got to see the ceremony, and. And actually, do you want to ask Cliff about it? Because he was watching it from afar.

[Andrew Colvin]

I love that. I actually. This whole experience, Cliff, of the last month, and I. I was used to seeing Charlie be in the media. I would book the interviews. I would, you know, we'd work on how we're going to approach the interviews and the debates or whatever, but it was still hard for me to calibrate because I was still so close to it. Like, you know, how famous Charlie was, how people were reacting to it. It was always hard. So I actually really think outside perspectives, somebody that was watching on TV is truly important. So to your point, Jack, Cliff, what was it like watching it from afar?

[Cliff Maloney]

Yeah, well, obviously, I'm focused on Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and this is the heat of the moment in terms of us diving in there, and so didn't get a chance to get to D.C. you know, what was fascinating to me, honestly, the thing that stands out is kind of how Trump interacts with Erica. And I mean that in a very good way. I just mean that you hear all the time from the media and from a lot of people on the left that Donald Trump is this evil human being and just completely just corrupt or whatever they say, all these buzzwords. And then seeing him interact with Erica, to me, kind of brings out the grandfather in him. Just very delicate and somber and sweet and connects with her. And I just. I mean that obviously, you know, I just love seeing that side of him. Right. Because a lot of us want him to be a fighter. We want him to go against the deep state. We want him to be this America first warrior. I mean, the guy took a bullet on the ear for us. But to see that side of him, I think just kind of brings out. It just makes him kind of a whole person to me. And then obviously, you know, with the ceremony, I think Erica's speech, I don't want to, you know, say it topped the memorial or it topped her speech from the studio, but I just think that, you know, it's. It's such a great message of her just talking about, you know, where are we going from here? And her referencing the Turning Point chapters. I mean, that, you know, from afar, that struck me because she's caring about the people that Charlie would have cared about, which are, you know, not the people at the top. Right. It's an inverted pyramid. That's how I always look at this thing. Right. We're way at the bottom. And the people that are closest to the voters, the people that are closest to changing hearts and minds, are the door knockers, are the activists, are the students on campus. And for her to reference that, that just really, to me talks about, you know, what is the future for Turning Point and what do things look like. So I just thought the whole ceremony was fantastic, a great tribute to Charlie Kirk. And, you know, it just reinforced we got to do the work and we got to move forward from here.

[Jack Posobiec]

No, that's great. And Andrew. I know. So we were, you know, there in the Rose Garden, and I know there was that moment, it was kind of surreal. And you turned to me and you took this picture that has now gone viral. And you pointed out it's like all of the legends of conservative media, the people that we watched, even the people that we watched when we were younger, were all standing together and even in addition to the entire government being there. But this photo, it was. Remind me who it was. It was. So we had Bill O'Reilly, which he never comes to stuff.

[Andrew Colvin]

Do we have that picture? I'll grab it.

[Jack Posobiec]

He's there and it's. And Megyn Kelly's there. And I don't know if we got all of them in, you know, one picture together, but we did. We got most, I think Hannity, Jesse Waters and Tucker. Tucker.

[Andrew Colvin]

Laura Ingram.

[Jack Posobiec]

Laura Ingram.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Yeah.

[Andrew Colvin]

It was sort of like the past and present of the Fox lineup, which was noteworthy in the sense that, you know, I don't think I've ever seen them photographed together.

[Jack Posobiec]

I really don't think so.

[Andrew Colvin]

Here I'm gonna, I'll put it in the chat here.

[Jack Posobiec]

Well, when you think of all, like, the, you know, the ups and downs and the back and forth of the schedule and. Oh, and Glenn Beck, Glenn Black was there.

[Andrew Colvin]

Yeah, I didn't get Glenn in that picture. But what, what happened was that it was basically Jesse, Bill Tucker, and Laura all standing next to us in the back because there's, you know, assigned seats and then there's. And then there's people standing. And you'd be surprised the caliber of people that were standing.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Right, right.

[Andrew Colvin]

And we're just standing. We're standing right next. And then, you know, all of a sudden, Sean Hannity walks back, I think, to give a hug to Laura or something, and he turned around, we snapped the picture, and it was quite the moment. It really was. But there was also, you know, Glenn Beck was, was around, and then we had a picture with Blake, you, me, Benny Johnson, the crew, and I guess that picture sort of went viral too.

[Jack Posobiec]

But, you know, there's something about the conservative media being there, showing up, and it speaks to the role Charlie played in that because Charlie was such a fan of Rush, and Rush had also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. And so there was this. This interesting symmetry, this interesting parallel of, like the generations of, you know, so Rush is the first.

[Andrew Colvin]

I used to think about this like.

[Jack Posobiec]

He was the pioneer of conservative media, wouldn't exist without him.

[Andrew Colvin]

I used to think about this all the time, that what made Charlie very exceptional just in the media landscape was that he was a bridge of generations as well. Even though he, you know, 31 years old, he had become very close with Rush. Rush, you know, was a seven figure donor to Turning Point. He believed in Charlie. But, you know, Charlie was also close with Sean Hannity, and he was also close with Mark Levin, and he was also close with Glenn Beck. And these. So these are the people that he grew up listening to and then he became close with, and they were all sort of excited to hand the baton to him and let him carry on the mission and expand the mission, grow the mission. And so Charlie was uniquely positioned that way. And you could see the same thing with Fox. Like, who else could bring together these people from Fox News that, you know, had, you know, interesting exit stories from the network?

[Jack Posobiec]

He's being so diplomatic.

[Andrew Colvin]

I'm being so diplomatic.

[Jack Posobiec]

He spends four days in D.C. and he turns into a politician.

[Andrew Colvin]

Well, I'm trying to be diplomatic because anybody that was willing to make the time to go to the Rose Garden and honor Charlie deserves my Respect. And I am going to be respectful. And, Charlie, I mean, just so we're clear, I ended up on a stage with Bill O'Reilly later that or last night and getting lectured about JFK sending in the National Guard in 1963. And, you know, it was very fascinating. I was like, you know, I appreciate, Bill, that you might have a little bit more historical understanding about what happened in 1963, but I think maybe I have a little bit better understanding what happened in 2023.

[Jack Posobiec]

Oh, snap. Oh, snap. It's doing it.

[Andrew Cuomo]

No, it's not.

[Jack Posobiec]

But no, Charlie was. It's as simple as this. Charlie was the bridge.

[Andrew Colvin]

He was the bridge.

[Jack Posobiec]

Charlie was the bridge.

[Andrew Colvin]

He brought people together that otherwise wouldn't be together. And you saw that on full display. I mean, not just from a media standpoint. It was. It was also from a. You know who we missed? Who we should have gotten that picture?

[Curtis Sliwa]

Megan Kelly.

[Jack Posobiec]

No, because you know what it was, though? Because she was standing on the other side.

[Andrew Colvin]

I know, but I should have grabbed her.

[Jack Posobiec]

But, like, the honor guard was, like, in between us. So it was.

[Mikey McCoy]

It was sort of.

[Jack Posobiec]

No, we should have grabbed her. And we saw her later, obviously, and she was great, and she was so gracious. But it was. There was this military honor guard that kind of separated the. The space. And so you didn't really want to cross that because they were keeping the aisle clear. I don't know why they were keeping the aisle clear. Somebody walked down it.

[Andrew Colvin]

But.

[Jack Posobiec]

Yeah, you didn't. You didn't want to cross this military honor guard. But that would have been. Obviously, would have been. You Photoshop it.

[Andrew Colvin]

Yeah, we're going to Photoshop Boneless. Boneless. If you're watching Photoshop Boneless, it's on you. So, hey, let's play some clips from. Oh, go ahead. Go ahead, Cliff.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Yeah.

[Cliff Maloney]

Let me just make one comment to back you guys up. You know, I used to be much more of a flamethrower back in the day. And it's funny thinking back, because Charlie was always the one, you know, who'd send me feedback on certain things and be like, listen, you know, I know that you disagree with this person, or I know that, you know, you think that they're the enemy at the moment, but we got to figure out a way to, you know, come together, Right? There's got to be some coalition here. But he always talked about compromising without compromising your principle. And I just always like to give Charlie credit for that because there was something that he was very good at in a way that not a lot of people at his level understand kind of how to put those chess pieces together. But I just want to back up what you guys said. I mean, who else can get all these different media, all these different big names, all of these folks to come together? It's Charlie, right? And it's Charlie, the one that really, like I said, I mean, a lot of people, when they get to that sort of position or that height of influence, they're kind of forced to take certain sides. And I think Charlie was just always trying to build the coalition, so I wanted to back that up.

[Andrew Colvin]

Yeah, no, absolutely. He always was doing that. He didn't believe in purity tests necessarily. I mean, you could cross a line, and he would give you a name, check up against the glass, to use a hockey expression. But most of the time, he was willing to work this stuff out in private. And he won a lot of trust and admiration from people that are used to getting betrayed by people in public. Basically, you think you have a friendship with somebody, and then all of a sudden you find out that you're getting put on blast in the media or whatever. So let's play some clips here. Jack, do you have one that. I mean, I can just start here. How about 185?

[Rosarina Breton]

I want you to be the embodiment of this metal. I do.

[Tyler Boyer]

I want you to free yourself from fear.

[Rosarina Breton]

I want you to stand courageously in the truth. Listen for the still, small voice of.

[Tyler Boyer]

God.

[Rosarina Breton]

And remember that while freedom is.

[Mikey McCoy]

Inherited in this country, each of us.

[Rosarina Breton]

Must be intentional stewards every single day. God began a mighty work through my husband, and I intend to see it through.

[Jack Posobiec]

And the torch is in our hands now.

[Rosarina Breton]

It's in mine, it's in yours, it's in all of yours. It's in all the students with Turning Point usa.

[Andrew Colvin]

Amen.

[Jack Posobiec]

Speaking directly to the chapters was, I think, just a brilliant stroke because it goes to show you that there's so many students out there and more students now. And I've been working with this chapter at Rutgers. They're under attack. And there's other people who are, you know, getting. You know, getting in the limelight now. And the pressure's on, right? The pressure's on. Turning Point. But then you also see the people who are stepping up to the plate and delivering. So you look at the tour, the thousands upon thousands of kids that are coming out to these tour stops that are still going on.

[Andrew Colvin]

And we have a big new announcement.

[Jack Posobiec]

The big announcement.

[Andrew Colvin]

Yeah. So J.D. vance came on the show yesterday on the Charlie Kirk show from the White House, which was fantastic. And he, we. He announced. Well, I sort of announced, but then he filled in the gaps that he and Erica are going to be hitting up Old Miss Oxford, Mississippi on October 29th.

[Jack Posobiec]

Unbelievable.

[Andrew Colvin]

That'll be Erica's first tour stop and I think her only tour stop this time. But we also announced that Betty Johnson.

[Jack Posobiec]

First ever.

[Andrew Colvin]

No, no, I, I mean, maybe actually like a campus stop. Yeah, yeah, it's probably. It probably is. I think it is. And then we've got Eric Trump, Benny Johnson, Lara Trump and Coach Tuberville hitting up Auburn on November 5, the one year anniversary of really Cliff Maloney's call heard round the world. That's what November 5th.

[Jack Posobiec]

The Pennsylvania Call.

[Andrew Colvin]

The Pennsylvania call, which was so. It was so appropriate. You got to call.

[Jack Posobiec]

I remember, by the way, like we were all saying it in the chat and they were like, everyone's like, pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania. And none of us wanted to say it.

[Andrew Colvin]

No, Charlie was saying, don't say it.

[Jack Posobiec]

Yeah, that's right. That's right, Charlie.

[Andrew Colvin]

Don't say something bad is going to say anything.

[Jack Posobiec]

Something bad. Something to pull it back. And we had the tasty cakes, which, which I actually, believe it or not.

[Andrew Colvin]

Look at what we have here.

[Jack Posobiec]

I have Cliff. I got the tasty cakes back. You got the tasty cakes. I know we are killing you and.

[Andrew Colvin]

I don't find them that delicious, but I love that they mean something to you.

[Jack Posobiec]

They're the pumpkin tasty cakes. It is the greatest. The greatest cake out of Tasty out of Philadelphia.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Yeah.

[Jack Posobiec]

Bobby Kennedy absolutely hates these things. I don't know if there's any.

[Andrew Colvin]

That's the ingredient list.

[Tyler Boyer]

Oh, yeah.

[Jack Posobiec]

I don't think there's any actual. I don't think there's any actual pumpkin.

[Andrew Colvin]

Anywhere near these things. Pronounce most of the ingredients.

[Tyler Boyer]

Xyleidol.

[Andrew Colvin]

How many cellulose.

[Jack Posobiec]

Does that have?

[Cliff Maloney]

The expiration date's more than a year away.

[Jack Posobiec]

All you need to know is Tasty Baking Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. These are the ones we brought out right when. Because I knew Pennsylvania would be the one. And so I pull out the tasty cakes, which I had brought all the way after infiltrating Kamala Harris's. Remember the fake.

[Andrew Colvin]

I want to play it again. Can we play that?

[Jack Posobiec]

Just play the cl. Play the clip.

[Andrew Colvin]

What is it? What is it?

[Andrew Cuomo]

I love.

[Jack Posobiec]

240.

[Tyler Boyer]

240 forty. Let's play.

[Jack Posobiec]

I love the clip.

[Cliff Maloney]

Fox News decides Donald Trump is President of the United States. We've got our republic back Folks.

[Jack Posobiec]

Let'S go.

[Tyler Boyer]

There it is.

[Cliff Maloney]

Everybody should remember this moment. Look, I'm going to echo Charlie from earlier. Remember where you were when this happened. Remember where you were when you realized that the unit party and all these, you know, just the establishment. You said it's time to actually participate. And look what you guys have done.

[Mikey McCoy]

And if anyone deserves to get tears.

[Tyler Boyer]

In his eyes, it's Charlie. I think we all agree.

[Jack Posobiec]

I think Erica was just some onions or something in the break room. No one has worked harder than Charlie.

[Cliff Maloney]

We gotta hear some words here from you, Charlie. You put all this together, my man. Let's hear it.

[Andrew Colvin]

I, I am just humbled by God.

[Jack Posobiec]

It's all God. It's all God. God alone. God alone.

[Zoran Mamdani]

That's all I can say.

[Jack Posobiec]

Decision desk has it. Pennsylvania. It's done. It's beginning. How has it been a year?

[Andrew Colvin]

I can't believe.

[Jack Posobiec]

How has it been?

[Andrew Colvin]

Not quite a year. We got two, two, three weeks still. It's been a year.

[Zoran Mamdani]

But.

[Andrew Colvin]

It's been a year.

[Jack Posobiec]

But I mean. And well here we are again. It's October, right. So it's election season. We're, you know the debate's coming up in a couple of minutes. New York City.

[Andrew Colvin]

Yeah, I do want to, I do want to transition New Jersey, Virginia. I mean I do want to. I just, I want to play. Well shoot. It's too long of a clip. Nevermind. So I was actually I got to be on Fox News this morning talking about just. We were. The reason November 5th came up is because we have the stop with Eric Trump and Lara Trump and Benny and Coach Tuberville which is actually was my original pitch to the vice president's office to say hey, we should come on the day. Come on the one year.

[Cliff Maloney]

Yeah.

[Andrew Colvin]

Come on the one year anniversary. And they really tried. They just couldn't make it work with the schedule. So we're, we're doing all.

[Jack Posobiec]

I can't imagine that kind of much of a logistics and all the security making.

[Andrew Colvin]

I mean it's anyways the reason I wanted to play this FOX News clip. Well maybe it's worth it. Let's. It's a little bit longer. Is that okay? We do. I'm just giving kudos and a hat tip to JD Vance and he did come on the Charlie Kirk show to make this announcement. So why don't we do it?

[Tyler Boyer]

It's for Charlie.

[Andrew Colvin]

For Charlie. 243 please.

[Rosarina Breton]

The staff of TP USA on yesterday and I was just astounded by the.

[Andrew Colvin]

Numbers of people who have reached Out.

[Rosarina Breton]

I understand there's 350,000 and growing young people who have said, we'd like to be a part of this. The Charlie Kirk show continues, as do the events. And Vice President Vance was on your show yesterday talking about how he's going to do an event and he's going to take some questions. Watch here.

[Andrew Colvin]

I'm going to do exactly what Charlie did.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Just do Q and A with the audience.

[Andrew Colvin]

I actually want to.

[Curtis Sliwa]

I want to hear from these kids.

[Cliff Maloney]

I want to answer questions from them. He would answer tough questions from the.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Left and from the right, and so.

[Andrew Colvin]

I want to do that, too.

[Curtis Sliwa]

A part of keeping Charlie's memory alive.

[Andrew Colvin]

Is keeping the mission alive.

[Curtis Sliwa]

And nobody can replace Charlie.

[Andrew Colvin]

But if we all sort of take little pieces, we can do as much as we can to ensure that Charlie's.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Mission continues to survive long after he's gone.

[Andrew Colvin]

I feel like that's going to be.

[Rosarina Breton]

Must watch tv, streaming, whatever we're calling it now.

[Andrew Colvin]

Yeah, no, absolutely. And I just want to give a huge shout out and hat tip to the Vice President. You know, people, I don't know how people imagine this working, but he and Usha have been so just generous, and they have been the ones offering to help. They have been the ones saying, hey, we want to make sure that Charlie's legacy lives on. How can we help? What can we do? And I just love that the Vice President wants to honor Charlie by emulating Charlie at these events. You know, yes, he'll give a few minutes of remarks, but he wants to. He wants to interact with the students, and people need to understand that. Part of what made Charlie so amazing is that, yeah, he spoke, but he listened. And this is going to give the Vice President an opportunity to do just that.

[Rosarina Breton]

Listening is a superpower, in my opinion. All right, Andrew, thank you and safe trip home.

[Andrew Colvin]

Thank you so much.

[Mikey McCoy]

So in minutes, the House Speaker, Mike.

[Jack Posobiec]

Johnson, will give us an update.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Day 16.

[Jack Posobiec]

There you go.

[Andrew Colvin]

Yeah, I just, I love that the Vice President wants to honor Charlie by doing what Charlie did, which is, God bless. He's going to give a few minutes of remarks, but then he's going to spend the most of his time taking questions and interacting with.

[Jack Posobiec]

Charlie always said that. He always told me the very first time that I went, never did one of the campus stops by myself, even without Charlie. What he said was, this was his advice. So Charlie's advice was. And I've used it for almost every single event that I could since then. He says, if they give you an hour, do 5, 10, minutes of remarks and the rest questions.

[Andrew Colvin]

Well, Charlie would plan five to 10 minutes and usually go a little bit longer.

[Jack Posobiec]

Yeah, a little bit longer. And then, and he was always, I was like, well, why do you do that? And he goes, because the questions go viral, Jack.

[Andrew Colvin]

It's so true. It's so true.

[Cliff Maloney]

People are dying for that interaction. You know what I mean? It's funny because one of the guys, Nick Freitas, and if you guys know Nick out of Virginia, it's a delegate. He, it's so funny because like with him, his social media has kind of taken off. And it's funny because I asked him once and he says, listen, he says the floor speeches, people love, he says, but the speeches aren't what really take off. It's that interaction. And obviously Charlie with the prove me wrong, you know, understood that it's capturing not just stupid questions, but, you know, people actually asking intellectual questions and getting a raw, real time response from Charlie. And that's why these turning point events, you know, I think JD's correct and right to say, hey, let me actually take questions rather than give some pontificating speech. That's not a shot at him. That's all politicians. But I think that the real thing people are looking for, we saw this in 2024. The whole election came down to authenticity, right? People want something real. Trump going on, Theo Vaughn, Trump going on, you know, Rogan, the real long conversations where you actually get responses that people have to think about and they can judge your temperament and what you're actually, you know, where you're coming from, that position on. I think that's why these prove me wrongs are great. And I love that some of these features are taking that angle and it's.

[Jack Posobiec]

It'S that real time, you know, sort of like got to think on your feet aspect. That's, that's tricky. I know, let's do about five more minutes and then I know because I know the debate is going to be starting. Or do you want to throw to that and get it set up? But so we've got this debate, we're going into it. So Mamdani is currently leading in the polls, but Cuomo is right behind him. So the latest poll that I've seen out of Quinnipiac, it's Mandani, 46, Cuomo, 33, Curtis, Sliva, Sliwa, Polish, you'd say Sleeva, but we could say sliwa in at 15. So it's really this three way race.

[Andrew Colvin]

Well, if you add up Sliwa and Cuomo. That puts you at what, you'd be over eight.

[David Ushery]

Yeah, you'd be over.

[Jack Posobiec]

So there's this question.

[Andrew Colvin]

You'd be just 48, 46.

[Jack Posobiec]

Yeah, it'd be just over 48, 46. So you'd be just over. And you know, we're seeing. And by the way, we're seeing very similar. I got to throw it out the New Jersey governor's race where, you know, we've been doing a ton of work. By the way, Turning Point Action is holding an event this weekend with, with Chitterelli, Jack Chiarilli up in northern New Jersey and in. Up in Bergen county. And he's right, he's right behind her in the polls if you look at the head to head. But the enthusiasm gap is huge. There is a 13 point enthusiasm gap.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Check.

[Jack Posobiec]

Chittarelli up 55. Cheryl 42. That's just enthusiasm. That's out of the same Quinnipiac poll. And I think we actually have some video of Charlie talking about Mamdani. Zoram Mamdani, Charlie's favorite candidate of all time. Let's play clip 236.

[Mikey McCoy]

Now, understand that in the modern world.

[Jack Posobiec]

Authenticity is considered to be the most important thing ever.

[Andrew Cuomo]

And.

[Zoran Mamdani]

But should it be? Now, authenticity, if you're pointing towards something good and virtuous, is beautiful.

[Curtis Sliwa]

You're authentically trying to be the best.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Version of yourself, to be honest, if you're pointing towards a moral and transcendent ideal.

[Curtis Sliwa]

But Zoran Mamdani is not authentically trying.

[Jack Posobiec]

To point New York or aim towards a better city.

[Curtis Sliwa]

He's trying to bring New York into the gutter.

[Zoran Mamdani]

And authenticity without virtue is just narcissism in disguise.

[Jack Posobiec]

Let me say that again.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Authenticity without virtue is just narcissism in disguise.

[Jack Posobiec]

It's so. I mean, I remember that.

[Andrew Colvin]

I remember we actually workshopped that whole thing.

[Jack Posobiec]

That line is so good.

[Andrew Colvin]

Yeah, I remember. Gosh, it's a really good line.

[Andrew Cuomo]

And it's.

[Jack Posobiec]

And it's true. It's 100% true. And in fact, that he's not just talking about politics there, he's talking about life. He's talking about everything. And there were so many times where Charlie would do that and he would, you know, you'd start with one issue or some political issue or political candidate, and he would, he would unpack it all the way down to its bones.

[Andrew Colvin]

Well, Erica did this in her speech too. She made a really important distinction between essentially what the founders would call licentiousness, which is freedom without rules, freedom without boundaries versus liberty, and Liberty is about self governance like individual freedom is about. It's not about the lack of rules. It's saying, listen, I'm only gonna have one glass of wine or I'm not gonna have any at all. Opposed to five or six. I'm only going to have one tasty cake as opposed to five or six. Maybe I'll have. Maybe have a bite just to make Jack happy and then put it. Throw it in the trash. No, but. Whatever. Whatever the but. There is these nuances to being a fully formed human being that can be a productive citizen of a constitutional republic.

[Jack Posobiec]

Because if you allow your vices to control you, then you become a slave to your vices.

[Andrew Colvin]

Exactly.

[Jack Posobiec]

And Charlie understood that. And that's different from the, like the libertine, licentious, do whatever you want.

[Andrew Colvin]

He was an expert at calling out the gods of this age. Right.

[Andrew Cuomo]

You.

[Andrew Colvin]

You find out what the gods of this age are by when you realize what you're not allowed to criticize.

[Jack Posobiec]

Right?

[Andrew Colvin]

Right. So if you're not allowed to criticize mlk. He found that one out. That's one of the gods of this age. You're not allowed to criticize the Civil Rights act, even if you like the intention of some of the Civil Rights act, you're not allowed to criticize a discussion about it. And suddenly it's because it's a God of this age and you've confused, committed blasphemy. Right. And you're not allowed to. Well, you are allowed. But when you see these incisive commentary about, you know, licentiousness versus freedom or authenticity versus narcissism, those are the gods of this age. How many times have you heard somebody on the news say, well, everybody wants authenticity. And, you know, that's really the key. And Trump is so authentic. Well, Trump is authentically who he is, but it's also because his value system is in alignment with so many American voters. Trump is, you know, exceptionally American in many ways. Right. And that's why him being authentically American works.

[Jack Posobiec]

Wait, that's so perfect that you mentioned this authentically American. That's true. Oh, well, speaking of authentic Americans, let's play clip 237.

[Andrew Colvin]

Good.

[Cliff Maloney]

The third holy grail of taboos in American politics.

[Zoran Mamdani]

You have socialism, you have Islam, and.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Then you have Palestine, and you are.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Really going for the trifecta. Let's go, baby.

[Andrew Colvin]

Let's go.

[Cliff Maloney]

Tell me, why is Palestine a part of your politics?

[Zoran Mamdani]

When you grow up as someone, especially in the third world, you have a very different understanding of the Palestinian Struggle.

[Jack Posobiec]

And it's just, it's just everything about that, it's just going into his mouth as he's talking finger.

[Andrew Colvin]

You know, he just used the restroom. You can almost guarantee that. He just, he was like, hey, before I. Yeah.

[Jack Posobiec]

So rank.

[Andrew Colvin]

It's really disgusting. And by the way.

[Zoran Mamdani]

When you grow.

[Andrew Colvin]

Up as somebody in the third world, you have a much different. Oh, come on. You live behind a gated community in the wealthy elite, like, everybody's a millionaire. I think he lived in the same neighborhood. Is the only Ugandan billionaire, just like every other communist.

[Cliff Maloney]

Let me ask, let me ask you guys the question that I'm not supposed to ask.

[Andrew Colvin]

Do we want to win?

[Cliff Maloney]

Do we want him to win?

[Jack Posobiec]

No, we don't.

[Cliff Maloney]

And I'll say, does him winning? You're right. Give the poster child for an actual socialist in the financial capital of the world. I'm not, I'm not arguing the answer is yes, but I think that it's very interesting for me to think through. They have no leader right now on the left. They have no solutions. They have no policy that they're driving. I mean, when's the last time we've seen a Democrat leader put out some sort of plan in terms of a government budget or something? I mean, at this point, it's just. We hate Trump. Does him getting elected as an outed socialist create a poster child that we can have a better dichotomy between free market capitalism and socialism? I think that's a great question.

[Jack Posobiec]

Look, I hear you, but this is.

[Andrew Colvin]

The George Will Take.

[Jack Posobiec]

Defeating communism is always the right answer. There's never an answer where defeating communism isn't the right answer. Now, I do think Mondami is going to win the race. I do. And I think that Slee wa is. I mean, he's running, he's running a vanity campaign and he, you know, easily could have taken a position in. Well, you know something else?

[Andrew Colvin]

He's claiming that he's been offered $10 million to drop out of the race.

[Jack Posobiec]

No, no, I just mean. I just mean there are other ways you can serve.

[Andrew Colvin]

And no, I'm not saying, I'm not suggesting you say you should take the money. I'm just saying he's claiming that he's been bribed, which is not by Jack.

[Cliff Maloney]

Now, listen, he.

[Andrew Colvin]

Now he offer anybody 10 million, I would.

[Cliff Maloney]

He reminds me of so many of these candidates that I deal with. You guys deal with these people. The Constitution Party, the Libertarian Party, the spoilers, right? And look, it's a tough, tough conversation to have with folks because, you know, they kind of have this hope and this dream, and it's party loyalty. And he is the Republican, right? Don't get.

[Jack Posobiec]

What I'm saying is, look at Bobby Kennedy, right? Look at Bobby Kennedy. Bobby Kennedy runs. He runs as independent. He gets on all the swing states. He's up there. But then what does he do? He looks at the race, he looks at the polls, and he says, you know what? I might not be able to become president, but I could become a kingmaker. And then after I become kingmaker, I can still get what I want out of all of this, which is to help the children. And now he's doing that every single day. So you look at what Bobby Kennedy did for the country, because he put the country before himself. That's what I'm trying to say.

[Cliff Maloney]

And look to Sliwa. Get some concessions, dude. You're not gonna win. So do what Bobby Kennedy did. Bobby Kennedy. You're right, Jack. Bobby Kennedy was a genius. He realized that he had a little bit of leverage that he could use to take this Maha thing to the next level. And the guy has just completely reoriented our entire health system in a positive way, Right? And I just look at this Lewis guy, and I'm like, look, I'm a Republican. I get it. But why don't you get some concessions? He could be the kingmaker right now to tell all his supporters. And, gosh, if you guys would have guessed a year ago that we'd be saying, hey, he should be endorsing Cuomo, of all people, I would have probably thought you were nuts.

[Jack Posobiec]

But the political Andrew's best friends with his brother now, so.

[Andrew Colvin]

You know, it's funny. I did go on Cuomo's. Cuomo's. I guess it was a town hall last night at the Kennedy Center.

[Curtis Sliwa]

They. They offered.

[Andrew Colvin]

I was like, I'm here. I guess I'll do it. And it was. It was a fine experience. But, yeah, Chris. Chris is probably going to go into debate prep mode tonight, right? I mean, or is he not allowed to because he's a journalist? I don't know the rules anymore. I don't think anybody does, but I'm sure.

[Jack Posobiec]

I'm sure he'll be watching.

[Andrew Colvin]

Yeah, for sure. Here's. Here's.

[Jack Posobiec]

And we do it. We do have to wrap up, because I think they're going to be starting soon.

[Andrew Colvin]

Okay.

[Jack Posobiec]

We have to switch the stream over.

[Andrew Colvin]

All right, well, I mean, listen, here's what I would say that you're absolutely right. He should get some Concessions. I just wanna make one final point on what you were saying, Cliff, about should we be hoping that a communist wins? And the answer, in my opinion, is absolutely not. You have no idea what kind of carnage this man would do to everyday Americans. Even if they think they're voting in their own best interest. You have no idea what kind of corruption he'll put in place. You have no idea what kind of apparatchiks will be put in place that you will not be able to extricate from a city that's in America. Every single inch of terrain that is America is America. And we have to insist that it is American. And so he's gonna stop working with ice. He's gonna stop working with ice. He's going to alienate the nypd. People are gonna die. So people don't realize the facts when it just comes with nypd. They are going to absolutely tuck tail and run out of that city as fast as they can. They're going to get job offers from Florida. They're going to get job offers from New Jersey and Connecticut. They're going to go to these other municipalities.

[Jack Posobiec]

We saw this in Seattle.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Important. Yeah. And they.

[Andrew Colvin]

They will be. They will have their hands tied. They're already getting their hands tied from some bad consent decree that just came across the wire this week. But they are. They are going to be sitting ducks and they're going to want to get the heck out. Because cops. Yes, they fear bullets. Do you know what they fear even more? Prosecutions.

[Jack Posobiec]

Prosecutions?

[Curtis Sliwa]

Yeah.

[Andrew Colvin]

They fear getting prosecuted for doing their job, becoming better. Darn well believe that Mamdani is going to be leading the charge to create villains out of cops that get put in terrible situations because there's terrible people running loose in the streets of New York.

[Jack Posobiec]

Andrew, you got to run to the airport. Cliff, you and I are going to hang out. We're going to get Tyler up. I think we're going to try to see if we can find Mikey as well.

[Andrew Colvin]

But yeah, we got to get the great Mikey McCoy. And by the way, Mikey's going to be on our show tomorrow for the AMA out of Phoenix.

[Jack Posobiec]

In the daytime show?

[Andrew Colvin]

Yeah.

[Andrew Cuomo]

All right.

[Jack Posobiec]

So you're flying back to Phoenix? I'm staying in dc. It's going crazy. And New York City is going red. Communist red. Debate starts now.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Prices up, paychecks stretched. Public safety, top of mind.

[Andrew Cuomo]

School concerns.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Immigrant fears. Good jobs in short supply. Pressures big and small. Building on the greatest city in the world.

[Jack Posobiec]

Tonight, three visions for a brighter future.

[David Ushery]

Who will lead New York City into the next decade. Live from Rockefeller center, the New York.

[Andrew Cuomo]

City mayoral general election debate with independent.

[David Ushery]

Candidate and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Democratic candidate and New York State.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Assemblymember Zoran Mamdani, Republican candidate and Guardian.

[Cliff Maloney]

Angels founder Curtis Sliwa.

[David Ushery]

Sponsored by News for New York, Telemundo 47, Politico, the New York City Campaign Finance Board and NYC votes. Hear now, News for New York anchor David Ushery. Good evening, everyone, and welcome to this New York City mayoral debate. We are less than three weeks from Election Day when one of these men will be declared the 111th mayor of New York City. I'm joined by my colleague, Newsfork government affairs reporter Melissa Russo, senior politics editor at Politico, Sally Goldenberg, and Telemundo 47 anchor, Rosarina Breton. This is a two hour debate live on all NBC New York and Telemundo 47 streaming and digital platforms politico.com telexitos and YouTube. The first hour is also live on Channel 4 and Telemundo 47. We do have a few rules for the candidates. For traditional question and answer, you'll have one minute to respond and we'll offer 30 second rebuttals at the moderator's discretion. We'll also be asking questions where we will be looking for shorter answers. We also reserve the right to cut off your microphone if you ignore the rules. But candidates, you know we don't want to do that. The goal is for you to hear each other and for New Yorkers to hear everything you have to say. Good luck. We'll begin with Melissa Russo.

[Rosarina Breton]

Thank you, David. And good evening, gentlemen. Thank you for being here. We begin tonight by asking you to do what every mayor dreams of, and that is to write your own headlines. Imagine it's January 2027 and you have been in office for exactly one year. We would like you to quickly give us one headline about what you think your biggest accomplishment will have been in year number one. We'll begin with you, Mr. Cuomo.

[Andrew Cuomo]

First, thank you very much for sponsoring the debate and having all of us. The one headline. How. How many characters in the headline?

[Rosarina Breton]

You know, you're familiar with headline length.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Rent down comma, crime down comma, education scores up comma, more jobs in New York City getting maybe a little over.

[Rosarina Breton]

The average headline length, but optimism high. Thank you, Mr. Sliwa.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Curtis Sliwa is without his iconic red beret because I'm talking to the people of New York City about the really serious issues of affordability, the cost of Living and obviously what I spent most of my life doing, which is public safety in the streets and the subways.

[Rosarina Breton]

We would love a headline from you. What will your headline be? Your big headline and your number one.

[Curtis Sliwa]

As mayor Curtis Levi exceeds all expectations and looks very mayoral tonight.

[Rosarina Breton]

Mr. Mandani, you've had some time to think about it. Now, what's your headline?

[Zoran Mamdani]

It's a pleasure to be here, first of all, and I really want to thank the moderators and the opportunity to speak directly to New Yorkers about this moment in time and our opportunity to transform the most expensive city in the United States of America. The headline would read, in about a year, Mamdani continues to take on Trump Delivers on Affordability Agenda for New Yorkers.

[Rosarina Breton]

Thank you, Mr. Mamdani. Sally. Thank you, Melissa. We're going to talk about leadership. Voters have reservations about all three of you as chief executive of New York City, a City with roughly 300,000 employees and a budget bigger than many countries. We have questions for each of you. And Mr. Cuomo, we will begin with you. As a former governor of New York, you obviously have the management experience, but you resigned from office amid sexual harassment and Covid related scandals. Why should voters now trust that you have the character to be mayor? You have one minute.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Good. Thank you very much. And thank you for the question. First, you are right. I left office. There was a report that was done that had allegations of harassment. I said at the time it was a political report and that there was no basis to. Was then sent to five district attorneys. They all reviewed it. They found nothing. It was then litigated for five years. I was dropped from the cases. So none of that came to anything. When it comes to executive experience, I've run the Department of Housing and Urban Development, built housing all across the nation. I was governor for 11 years. The budget is double what it is in New York City. And I got government to work. I passed groundbreaking laws, minimum wage paid family leave, built projects that had never been built before. This is no job for on the job training. And if you look at the failed mayors, they're ones that had no management experience. Don't do it again.

[Rosarina Breton]

Thank you, Rosarina. Thank you, Sally. In the theme of leadership, Mr. Mandani, you work as a foreclosure prevention counselor for winning seat in the state Assembly. You have no substantial management experience. How are you ready to lead the nation's largest and greatest city in the world in one day? You have a minute?

[Zoran Mamdani]

You know, I have the experience of having served in the New York State assembly for five years and watching a broken political system. The experience of seeing a governor in Andrew Cuomo who would rather have served his billionaire donors and the working class New Yorkers who voted for him. And the experience amidst all of that, of fighting and winning for working class taxi drivers to free them from predatory debt and delivering the first free bus lines in New York City history, and in working with unions and working class New Yorkers to finally raise taxes just that little bit on Mr. Cuomo's donors to start to fully fund our public school. And more than that, I have the experience of being a New Yorker, someone who has actually paid rent in the city before I ran for mayor, someone who has had to wait for a bus that never came, someone who actually buys his groceries in this same city. And what all of that experience has shown me, which Mr. Cuomo can't seem to understand, is that it is far too expensive.

[Rosarina Breton]

Thank you, Mr. Cuomo.

[Zoran Mamdani]

And far too hard for New Yorkers to afford to live in this city. And, and the definition of experience is not doing the same thing again and again and hoping for a different result. That's actually the definition of insanity.

[Rosarina Breton]

Thank you, Mr. Mandani.

[Andrew Cuomo]

If I can, I think I was invoked, yes. In other words, what the assemblyman said is he has no experience. And this is not a job for someone who has no management experience to run 300,000 people, no financial experience to run $115 billion budget. He literally has never had a job. On his resume it says he interned for his mother. This is not a job for a first timer. Any day you could have a hurricane, you, God forbid, a 9, 11, a health pandemic. If you don't know what you're doing.

[Rosarina Breton]

People have to. Mr. Mandani want to respond.

[Zoran Mamdani]

And if we have a health pandemic, then why would New Yorkers turn back to the governor who sent seniors to their death in nursing homes? That's the kind of experience that's on offer here today. What I don't have an experience, I make up for in integrity. And what you don't have in integrity, you could never make up for in experience.

[Andrew Cuomo]

May I first. What you said was totally false, as you know.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Which part was false?

[Andrew Cuomo]

During COVID everyone did whatever they could in this state, and there have been numerous investigations where they've gone through it and they said, we followed federal guidance. But yes, people died during COVID And my heart breaks for everyone that broke in, that died in this state and across this nation.

[Rosarina Breton]

But just to be clear. Mr. Just to fact check that there is a criminal investigation reportedly underway at the DOJ about your testimony to Congress about your nursing home record.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Yeah, but that was. That is a political issue with the Congress. They made a referral which has gone absolutely nowhere. But there have been multiple investigations where the DOJ found that the nursing home investigation was politically motivated.

[Rosarina Breton]

Okay, we're going to move on. We might have time to come back to it. I do need to move on to.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Mr. May I just finish my rebuttal? But the assemblyman still says he has no experience to do the job.

[Rosarina Breton]

Okay, thank you, Mr. Cuomo. Mr. Sliwa, as founder of the Guardian Angels and as a radio host, you've been a well known figure in New York City for decades, but you also lack substantial management experience. So how are you prepared to be the Chief Executive Officer of New York City? You have one minute, Mr. Sliwa.

[Curtis Sliwa]

First of all, I created the Guardian Angels to provide public safety in the subways and streets when government was incapable of doing so. I didn't do it to get a title or a paycheck. Secondarily, I don't declare myself to be all knowing. I will hire the very brightest and best in their fields who have dedicated their lives to trying to improve the city of New York with a state or the federal government or the private sector. But what I will say is, thank God I'm not a professional politician. We have the architect and we have the apprentice of no cash bail, which has been a disaster. We have the architect and the apprentice here of raise the age. My own son was almost killed because of that in a gang attack. We have the architect and we have the apprentice of closed Rikers island, which would just release criminals in the street. Thank God I'm not a professional politician because they have helped create this crime crisis in this city that we face.

[Rosarina Breton]

And I thank you, Mr. Sliwa.

[David Ushery]

Thank you, Mr. Sliawa. Candidates, President Trump has expressed intense interest in this election and in all of you personally. Mr. Mamdani, the president called you, quote, my little communist. Mr. Sleebo. He said you're, quote, not exactly prime time. Mr. Cuomo, he has been critical of you, but said you have always gotten along. The President has threatened to cut federal funds to the city, and just yesterday he killed the Gateway Project, the tunnel connecting New York to New Jersey. You've all promised to resist him in some way. What would you say in your first official call with the President to set the tone for your relationship moving forward? We'll give you a minute for this. We'll start with you, Mr. Mondani.

[Zoran Mamdani]

I would make it clear to the President that I am willing to not only speak to him, but to work with him if it means delivering on, lowering the cost of living for New Yorkers. That's something that he ran his presidential campaign on, and yet all he's been able to deliver thus far has been prosecuting his political enemies and trying to enact the largest deportation program in American history. And what distinguishes me from. From Andrew Cuomo is the fact that he has gotten on the phone with that same president, not asking him how to work together to help New Yorkers, or not telling him that he would refuse to back down to protect those New Yorkers, but instead asking him how to win this race. That's something I can do myself. I don't need the President's assistance for. And what I tell the President is if he ever wants to come for New Yorkers in the way that he has been, he's going to have to get through me as the next mayor of this city.

[David Ushery]

All right, Mr. Cuomo, we'll give you a little extra time, but I'd like you to answer this question as well. Well, what your first conversation with the President would be like.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Okay, first, I never had a conversation with the President that the assembly was talking about, but he's. He's has a distant relationship with the truth. I would say to the president in the first conversation, look, we have had many, many battles. I fought with. We fought together every day during COVID and the battles were bloody, and I'd like to avoid them. You know, if you come after New York, you know what I'm going to do. You know it's going to be ugly. And, you know, my chances are almost 50. 50. Even though you're the President, I'd like to work with you. I think we can do good things together. But number one, I will fight you every step of the way if you.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Try to hurt New York, unless he weaponizes the justice system to go after the Attorney General of this state, in which case you'll issue a statement that doesn't even name the president. And no matter what you think about Donald Trump, you know that not even being able to name him is an act of cowardice. And that's what we would see from Donald Trump's puppet on the right over here.

[David Ushery]

I do want to get into sleebo, but, Mr. Cuomo, I'll give you a few seconds to respond to that.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Yeah, I did mention I said political weaponization of the justice system is wrong. Both Sides do it. It's wrong when Donald Trump does it. It's wrong when they did it to Comey. It's wrong when Comey did it to Hillary. Was wrong when it happened. Chase James.

[David Ushery]

Thank you, Mr. Cuomo. I want to give Mr. Sliwa a chance to answer this. Mr. Sliwa, your first official conversation with the president. What would you say to set the tone?

[Curtis Sliwa]

Well, first of all, there's high levels of testosterone in this room. I've had a love hate relationship with Donald Trump that goes back over 30 years. But I know one thing. We have Andrew Cuomo, we have Zoran Mondame. They want to take on Donald Trump. Look, you can be tough, but you can't be tough if it's going to cost people desperately needed federal funds. Zoran Mandami, the president has already said it's going to take $7 billion out of the budget right from the start if you're elected mayor. People are going to suffer in this city, people who need those federal funds. What I would do is sit and negotiate. I would say, Look, Mr. President, we need that Gateway tunnel. It moves millions of people from Washington, D.C. to Boston. But take away the Q train project, we don't need those three stations going from 96th street to 125th. It's not a necessity. Sit with the president and whoever he delegates and try to negotiate. But if you try to get tough with Trump, the only people who are going to suffer from that are the people of New York City.

[David Ushery]

Okay, Mr. Sliwa, thank you. Brief response. Mr. Mountani.

[Zoran Mamdani]

You know, Mr. Trump is already suspending infrastructure grants to this city, and he's doing it in a blatant act of political retribution. And what it requires is leadership that will stand up to him. And I disagree with Mr. Sliwa. We do need to extend the Second Avenue subway to 125th Street. It was a promise made to Harlemites decades ago. It's time to actually fulfill.

[David Ushery]

Thank you.

[Rosarina Breton]

Ms. McDonald, quick question, quick question for each of you. Mr. Cuomo, you've been asked.

[Curtis Sliwa]

He mentioned my name. Don't I get a chance to respond?

[David Ushery]

Well, we got a lot of ground to cover. Sli, can I respond?

[Rosarina Breton]

When was the last time you spoke with President Trump? Mr. Cuomo, you've been asked this before, and the last time you said you couldn't remember.

[Andrew Cuomo]

I believe it was during his assassination attempt.

[Rosarina Breton]

So last year in 2024. Mr. Sliwa, when was the last time you spoke with President Trump?

[Curtis Sliwa]

Oh, many years ago. We were receiving awards. I was praising him for saving the annual Veterans Day parade. Those were the conversations that I had with him. Can I please respond? I was asked about the Q train.

[David Ushery]

Okay, real quick, Donnie, I am the.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Mayor of mass transit. We do not need a Q train. I'm in the subways every day. We have more than a capable system of transporting people.

[David Ushery]

Thank you.

[Curtis Sliwa]

The infrastructure needs to be in the system that we have.

[Rosarina Breton]

Mr. Mamdani, have you ever spoken with President Trump?

[Andrew Cuomo]

No.

[Rosarina Breton]

Okay, there you go. Sally. Thank you. Mr. Cuomo, follow up to that. President Trump has spoken positively about you and your candidacy, even as his Justice Department, as we've noted, is reportedly investigating you for allegations you lied to Congress over your Covid record. Given that dynamic, how would you be able to stand up to this White House? How are you not compromised? And just take into account that New Yorkers are troubled by what they view as a compromise relationship the current outgoing mayor has with the president.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Yeah. First, you're wrong when you say there's any investigation of me. That's not true. Do you have Congress?

[Rosarina Breton]

There is no.

[Andrew Cuomo]

I've heard absolutely nothing. Congress did a press release. They said they sent a letter to Department, Department of Justice, which they do routinely to generate press, and that's what that is. I have been. I fought Donald Trump. He investigated me repeatedly with the Department of Justice. The Department of Justice Inspector General said that it was actually politically motivated. That does not back me up. When I'm fighting for New York, I am not going to stop. And I'll tell you something else. If the assemblyman is elected mayor, Donald Trump will take over New York City, and it will be Mayor Trump who runs New York City.

[Rosarina Breton]

We have to move on. Just a very quick follow up. Yes or no, you're saying unequivocally, the Justice Department is not investigating you? Correct.

[Andrew Cuomo]

I have one. I've heard absolutely nothing.

[Rosarina Breton]

They could be, and you might not have heard it, but. Okay, we'll move on. David.

[David Ushery]

Okay, thank you, Sally.

[Andrew Cuomo]

That is virtually impossible, by the way. Way.

[David Ushery]

Okay.

[Rosarina Breton]

So, Mr. Cole, you did put out an ad the day after the news first broke in the New York Times that you were under investigation, calling it a political investigation, saying they were coming after you as they had to, you know, after other Democratic politicians. You haven't denied this, that the Republican Congress was.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Yes, I believe they play politics with the justice system. I believe the Republican Congress does it. I believe Donald Trump does it. I believe the Democrats do it. And that's why I think people are sick and tired. Thank you, Mr. Justice system and the politics.

[Zoran Mamdani]

If you think that there's no difference between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, then that's the candidate for you. If you think it's time to have a Democratic Party that actually stands up to Donald Trump and his billionaire back, thank you.

[Andrew Cuomo]

You're not a Democrat.

[David Ushery]

Candidates.

[Andrew Cuomo]

You're not a Democrat. You're a Democratic.

[David Ushery]

Social candidates. We have.

[Andrew Cuomo]

You didn't vote for Kamala Harris. Right.

[David Ushery]

We have another gravity cover. No, no, we have.

[Zoran Mamdani]

That's an incendiary charge. I want to be very.

[David Ushery]

You may have a chance to address it, but we do a lot of issues to get to with New Yorkers.

[Zoran Mamdani]

I'll be very quick.

[Andrew Cuomo]

You didn't say leave it blank in the common.

[Zoran Mamdani]

I'll be very campaign. I said leave it blank in the presidential primary because primaries are a place to air dissent. And like many Americans, I was horrified.

[David Ushery]

Okay.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Israeli genocide of Palestinians. And if you want to look for me on the ballot, you'll find me as the democrat.

[David Ushery]

Mr. Mamdani. Thank you. We have to move on. This week, the world is reacting to President Trump's Israel, Hamas peace deals and the release of the hostages. And many are cautiously optimistic about a lasting peace. Of course, the mayor has no direct role in foreign affairs, and we certainly have a lot of questions for you about city matters. But this war has been a major topic in the campaign, and there are criticisms about your positions in the past and how you envision leading on these issues as mayor. So we have questions for all of you, but first for Mr. Mamdani, because of something you said that's been generating headlines in the news today as we come into the debate yesterday on Fox News, you were asked if Hamas should lay down its weapons, key to the peace plan, and cease fire. And some say they found your answer confusing. You said, quote, I don't really have opinions about the future of Hamas and Israel beyond the question of justice and safety and the fact that anything has to abide by international law. And that applies to Hamas and that applies to the Israeli military. So for the voters tuning in tonight, Mr. Mountadi, what do you believe about Hamas and how lasting peace will be achieved? We know it's a complicated matter, but we'd like you to keep your answer to a minute, if you could.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Of course. I believe that they should lay down their arms. I'm proud to be one of the first elected officials in the state who called for a cease fire. And calling for a cease fire means seizing 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 of the genocide, but also an unimpeded access of humanitarian aid. I, like many New Yorkers, am hopeful that this ceasefire will hold. I'm hopeful that it is durable. I'm hopeful that it is just. And for it to be just, we also have to ensure that it addresses the conditions that preceded this. Conditions like occupation, like the siege and apartheid. And that is what I'm hopeful for.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Yes. If I may, that means from the.

[Curtis Sliwa]

River to the sea. I'm being marginalized out of this.

[Andrew Cuomo]

I'm sorry.

[Curtis Sliwa]

It's a debate of three. Excuse me, Andrew. It's a debate of three. Do we acknowledge that three people?

[David Ushery]

Mr. Slieber, go ahead and we'll give you a second. Go ahead, Mr. Slieber.

[Curtis Sliwa]

The president of the United States should have been applauded by you, Johan Mandami, and you, Andrew Cuomo, on the day that he brought together that international coalition that met in Egypt, that came from the Middle east and the Persian Gulf. I certainly applauded him for bringing peace to Gaza and trying to end the hostilities in the war between the Israelis and Hamas so there can be peace between the Israelis and peace between the Palestinians. But you seem, Zoran, to be incapable of praising our president. And actually you were incapable of praising. Give credit where credit. He's brought peace to God.

[David Ushery]

Gentlemen, we want to hear everything you have to say. We have other questions on this matter. Mr. Cuomo, please, brief response, because we do have other questions on this issue that you may be able to address. Go ahead.

[Andrew Cuomo]

I did applaud President Trump and his administration. I think it was a great accomplishment. I hope the peace holds. The assemblyman will not denounce Hamas. The assemblyman will not denounce Hassan Piker, who said America deserved 9 11. The assemblyman just said in his response, well, it depends on occupation. That is code, meaning that Israel does not have a right to exist as a Jewish state, which he has never acknowledged. That is from the river to the sea. That's why he won't denounce globalize the intifada, which means kill all Jews.

[David Ushery]

Let's give Mr. Mamdani a chance to respond to that.

[Zoran Mamdani]

I want to be very clear. The occupation is a reference to international law and the violation of it, which Mr. Cuomo has no regard for, since he signed up to be Benjamin Netanyahu's legal defense team during the course of this genocide. And I find the comments that Hasan made on 911 to be objectionable and Reprehensible. And I also think that part of the reason why Democrats are in the situation that we are in of being a permanent minority in this country is we are looking only to speak to journalists and streamers and Americans with whom we agree of every single thing that they say. We need to take the case to every person. And I'm happy to do that, which is why I was on Fox News yesterday talking about how I wish it was more like NASCAR so we could see all the billionaires who are sponsoring you right on your suit jacket.

[David Ushery]

Melissa has.

[Rosarina Breton]

We're going to turn it to Sally, actually. Yeah, actually, this kind of flows. And then we'll go Back to Melissa. Mr. Mamdani, you told NBC's Meet the Press that you don't believe it's the role of the mayor to police speech. Your words about this war have comforted many New Yorkers, but they've troubled others. And I want to ask about some of this. There is your recent refusal, as we just discussed, to condemn the slogan globalize the Intifada, which many view as a call to arms. In 2017, you rapped lyrics praising the Holy Land 5. These are men who were convicted of supporting terrorism. How would you assure New Yorkers, especially Jewish residents who might be concerned about this, that you would be a mayor for all? You have 1 minute to answer this.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Thank you for this opportunity. When I am speaking about the responsibility of leading this city, I mean, leading not just those who voted for me, leading not just those who vote, but leading every single person who calls this city home, and that includes Jewish New Yorkers. And I have been so thankful for the opportunity I've had to sit with so many Jewish New Yorkers over the course of the primary and through the general. And it's in those conversations that I learned that this phrase evokes many painful memories. Memories of bus attacks in Haifa, of restaurant attacks in Jerusalem. And I heard from a rabbi about their roommate who was killed on one of those buses. And in hearing that and the distance between that impact and the rationale that some use of saying it, of speaking about the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, is why I said that I would discourage this language, language that I do not use. And what I'm looking to do as the first Muslim mayor of this city, is to ensure that we bring every New Yorker together, Jewish New Yorkers, Muslim New Yorkers, every single person that calls this city home, that they understand they won't just be protected, but they will belong.

[Rosarina Breton]

Mr. Sliwa, we will get to you first I'm going to ask a question of Mr. Cuomo. While you are a strong supporter of Israel, you have also been slow to develop a relationship with the city's Muslim community. You have called Mr. Mamdani a terrorist sympathizer. How do you assure those New Yorkers, especially Muslims and Arabic New Yorkers, that you will be a mayor for all? You'll have one minute.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Yeah. Well, first, I think the assemblyman created the perception himself. Why wouldn't he condemn Hamas? Why wouldn't he condemn Hasan Piker? Why did it take us here tonight for the first time for him to say it? He still won't denounce. Globalize the intifada, which means kill all Jews. Just say I denounce it. He won't do it. That's the issue and his divisiveness.

[Rosarina Breton]

Address the question that we're talking to you. I think you've made the point, but can you please answer about your own relationship with the Muslim community? You did not visit mosques for many years. More recently you have been.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Yeah, I don't think. I don't think in any way the assemblyman is representative of the Muslim community, which is a vital community in New York City. And I am very fond of. And I've been working with. I think he's playing his own politics. Many of his positions don't even follow the Muslim faith. So I see them as two totally separate things.

[Rosarina Breton]

Mr. Mandani, want to respond.

[Zoran Mamdani]

You know, it took Andrew Cuomo being beaten by a Muslim candidate in the Democratic primary for him to set foot in a mosque. He had more than 10 years and he couldn't name a single mosque at the last debate we had that he visited. And what Muslims want in this city is what every community wants and deserves. They want equality and they want respect. And it took me to get you to even see those Muslims as part of this city. And that, frankly, is something that is shameful and is why so many New Yorkers have lost faith in this politics.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Yeah, except that is, I worked with the Muslim community for many, many years.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Name a single mosque you went to when you were the governor. Can you name a single mosque you went to in 10 years?

[Andrew Cuomo]

Ever here they were before I was here. Before you were even in state government. I worked with the Muslim community. Imams presided over state of the states. We worked in religious working groups you couldn't visit, among anti Semitic groups, etc.

[David Ushery]

All right, gentlemen, Mr. Slee Rosarita has a specific question for you, but I'll give you a second.

[Curtis Sliwa]

This is what disturbs me about you? You will be celebrating your birthday this weekend. In 1991, I was in the streets of Crown Heights with the Guardian Angels for 30 days and 30 nights when the first Democratic Socialist mayor of New York City. That's right, David Dinkins was a proud member of the Democratic Socialists of America, abandoned the Jews for three days. They were left to their own means and we protected them for 30 days and 30 nights. Then your favorite mayor, Bill de Blasio, in 2019, abandoned the Jews again when they were being attacked in Williamsburg, in Squirrel park and Crown Heights. And I had to bring the Guardian angels in for 30 days, 30 nights. Jews don't trust that you are going to be there for them when they are victims of anti Semitic attacks.

[David Ushery]

Okay, brief response. Mr. Ramdani, we have a specific question for you from Rosario. But Mr. Ramdani, please.

[Andrew Cuomo]

I agree.

[Zoran Mamdani]

By the way, one of the most meaningful experiences I've had over the course of this campaign has been the conversations I've had with Jewish New Yorkers. Jewish New Yorkers who've told me about the door that they've had to lock, that they had kept open for 40 years. Jewish New Yorkers who've told me on the M57 about an apartment the speech therapist was trying to sell when a Realtor told her put the Jewish books off the table. Jewish New Yorkers who've told me about their fear in living in this city. And I will be a mayor who finally addresses that, not through the theatrics of the politics on this stage, but through action. I'll do that by ensuring that we have police officers outside of San Diego.

[David Ushery]

I want to get to the gentlemen. We have a lot to get to. And we do have a specific question for Mr. Sliwa. Rosarina.

[Rosarina Breton]

Thank you, David. Mr. Sliwa, you've called for tougher policing of pro Palestinian protests, and you've suggested that Mr. Mamdani uses languages that is anti Semitic. How do you assure New Yorkers that you'll be the mayor for all?

[Curtis Sliwa]

Well, I've been there for all people and all times for 46 years as leader of the Guardian Angels here and around the world. Whether it is a religious violation of people's rights to worship as they choose in a mosque, in a church, in a synagogue or a shul. Whether it's because of racial identity. Remember, in the summer of 2020, Asians were under constant attack because of the lockdown and pandemic. I don't remember Governor Cuomo coming to their aid. You were the Governor, then I was out there going into all the neighborhoods. Flushing, Bayside, we were in. Down in Bensonhurst. We were in Chinatown itself, where Asians were being attacked indiscriminately because they were thought to be carrying Covid. We protected them then. Governor, you were not there for them. De Blasio was not there for them. We understand hate, and in order to counteract hate, you have to get the community involved, along with the police, to protect people when they're under siege. Jews are under attack now more than ever before. Mr. And I don't believe either of you have the capabilities of protecting them with increased anti Semitism.

[Andrew Cuomo]

That is pure fiction. I passed the no hate. In our state, the strongest hate crime law in the United States of America. We tolerate no hatred, no discrimination. We are from every place on this globe.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Unless it's you that's perpetrating.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Excuse me. We're tolerant and we accept. If you notice, the assemblyman still won't say he believes that Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state. He is a divisive personality all across the board. NYPD are racist. Barack Obama is evil liar. And he gave the finger to the Christopher Columbus status.

[Curtis Sliwa]

By the way, your laws with no cash bail turn the haters right back in the street to violate an attack again and again and again.

[Rosarina Breton]

Thank you.

[Curtis Sliwa]

You're the reason for that no cash bail.

[Zoran Mamdani]

You don't know what you're talking about.

[David Ushery]

Thank you. Go ahead.

[Zoran Mamdani]

There have been a number of absolutely unfounded lies that have been said by Andrew Cuomo. I would just like a moment to address them directly. I've said time and again that I recognize Israel's right to exist. I've said that I will not recognize any state to say. I said that I will not as a Jewish state. If I would be allowed to finish that, I would not recognize any state's right to exist. Or with a system of hierarchy on the basis of race, of religion. I have made that very clear. And part of that is because I'm an American who believes in the importance of equal rights being enshrined in every single country, whether we're speaking about Israel or whether we're speaking about Saudi Arabia. You can stand here and you can lie all you want, but New Yorkers.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Okay, we have a question.

[David Ushery]

We want to address some issues here.

[Rosarina Breton]

All right? And we have another polarizing issue that we would love to discuss with you candidates. And let's talk about the National Guard here in the city of New York. Now, let's go back to Mr. President Donald Trump. One threat hanging over the city is the deployment of the National Guard troops like he has done. As you all know, in other cities. The NYPD commissioner has rejected the idea as unnecessary, but the president ordered troops to hit the streets of New York. Now, how would you respond? Mr. Shliwa, you have a minute?

[Curtis Sliwa]

There's no need for the National Guard in New York. Kathy Hochul, the governor, when we had a crime crisis in the subways that I'm well familiar with, being down there all the time, unlike my two adversaries, she sent 750 National Guardsmen down into the subways in 2024. Remember the horrible case of Dabrina Kawar? Does anybody even say her name anymore? That woman was set on fire by that migrant. As a result of that, the worst crime I've ever seen committed in the subway system. The governor did the right thing. She sent an additional 250 National Guardsmen, giving us a total of 1,000 National Guardsmen in the subway system. While our mayor, Eric Adams, was telling us it was all a perception. So Governor Hochul has responded. I would tell the President of the United States, since I'm familiar with cities all across America having guardian angels there. If you were going to send the National Guard, you don't need to send them to New York City. There are other cities that could desperately use their help in dealing with their crime crisis.

[Rosarina Breton]

Thank you, Mr. Sliwa. Mr. Mamdani, how would you respond?

[Zoran Mamdani]

You know, I agree with Police Commissioner Tisch in that we do not need the National Guard here in New York City. We do not need them for the purpose of safety. Because if it was safety that President Trump was so concerned about, he would send them to the 8 out of 10 states that have the highest levels of crime in this country. But he won't, because they're all run by Republicans. What New Yorkers need is a mayor who can stand up to Donald Trump and actually deliver on that safety. When Donald Trump sent ICE agents on people in Los Angeles, Andrew Cuomo said that New Yorkers need not overreact. That is the furthest answer that New Yorkers are looking for. They are looking for someone who will lead, someone who will say that they will have their back, someone who will actually fight for the people of this city. And that's who I am.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Because.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Because I'm not funded by the same donors that gave us Donald Trump's second term, which isn't something that Andrew Cuomo can say.

[Rosarina Breton]

Thank you, Mr. Mondani.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Yeah.

[Andrew Cuomo]

First, the answer in the subways is not more National Guard. I put National Guard in the subways also. It's more. NYPD is the answer. But the National Guard is not. He's not sending in the National Guard to do any real function. It's control, it's power. He's trying to say these Democrats don't know how to run these cities. And it's a political gesture. By sending in the National Guard. He has said if the assemblyman is elected, he will take over New York. Forget the National Guard.

[Rosarina Breton]

But this is.

[Andrew Cuomo]

He has said, I'm going to.

[Rosarina Breton]

They order the troops to come here.

[Andrew Cuomo]

What do the. Well, I went through this with him. He sent the national guard to 20 cities when I was governor. You know what city didn't. He didn't send them to New York. Why? Because I said to him, don't you dare. We don't need it. And he backed down and he will again.

[Rosarina Breton]

So that proves a good relationship.

[Curtis Sliwa]

The President is going to back down to you. Andrew Cuomo, I know you think you're the toughest guy alive, but let me tell you something. You lost your own primary, right? You were rejected by your Democrats.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Why?

[Curtis Sliwa]

You have a difficult understanding that what the term no is you're not going to stand up to Donald Trump.

[Zoran Mamdani]

I agree with Curtis.

[Andrew Cuomo]

You're not going to stand up to Donald Trump.

[David Ushery]

Okay.

[Andrew Cuomo]

And he can't stand up to Donald Trump, who knocked him right on his toes.

[Curtis Sliwa]

If you negotiate with him, you don't fight with him because only the people of New York City will lose.

[Andrew Cuomo]

You have a stand up to negotiate.

[David Ushery]

We have a follow up.

[Rosarina Breton]

I'd like to see a show of hands. Are there any circumstances where any of you would allow the NYPD to cooperate with the National Guard if Trump sent them to New York? Show of hands. Yes. No takers. Okay, moving on. If history as a guide, National Guard troops in the city could trigger protests. And we have questions for each of you about how you would handle that. So, Mr. Sliwa, you have been arrested for protesting migrant housing and for trying to serve Mayor Bill de Blasio with court papers. How would your NYPD handle protests and would you continue participating in protests as mayor? You have one minute.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Well, I have been arrested oftentimes in civil disobedience. That is a great American Right. But demonstrations have a time and a place. And it used to be before Bill de Blasio, I know he was your favorite Mayor Joe Ahn, that you'd have to get a permit. There's a time period you were in a structured area, you get a sound permit, could be turned around in a day if there was going to be civil disobedience. You discovered, discussed it with the police department. And obviously you had an opportunity of expressing your anger or your outrage at whatever it was that motivated you to sit down in the street to block traffic or block an egress. Now we have rampaging groups that go running through the streets, that enter all kinds of facilities and violate other people's rights, and there's no one who's willing to stop it. When I'm the mayor, there are rules and regulations. Everybody has a right to demonstrate. But you can't violate other people's rights or you yourself must be arrested. And I would remove the face coverings. Remove those face coverings. Why are you afraid of identifying who you are as a demonstrator? Unless maybe you're an agent provocateur who's been sent in here to cause chaos.

[David Ushery]

Thank you, Rosarina.

[Rosarina Breton]

The next question goes to you, Mr. Mamdani. You were arrested for blocking traffic in a pro Palestinian protest, and you participated in a sit in at Grand Central. Protesters offered block streets, bridges and hubs like Grand Central. How much of that would you allow as mayor? And what's your line in having the NYPD arrest protesters? You have a minute?

[Zoran Mamdani]

Protest is a part of what makes this city's history what it is. It is a part of the First Amendment. We deserve to have a mayor who stands up for that First Amendment, especially as we have a president that's looking to shred it at each and every opportunity. And we will continue to have protests in this city as we should, no matter who is the mayor. And the line will be on the question of breaking the law. What we have today, however, is an attempt to intimidate so many who are looking to use that freedom of expression to share their opinions about the city and the world around them. And to be frank with you, what New Yorkers are looking for is someone who can show leadership in City Hall. Because when they don't see that leadership, that's when so many take to the streets. And if you had a leader like Andrew Cuomo, who was telling people not to overreact when they see ICE agents abducting girls as young as six years old to deport them, many New Yorkers will take to the streets. We deserve to have a leader who will actually be following through on the values of the city. That's the leader that I'll be.

[Rosarina Breton]

Mr. Mandanio, just a quick follow up. If you're elected Would you still participate in protests?

[Andrew Cuomo]

No.

[Zoran Mamdani]

If I'm elected, I'll be the mayor and I'll be leading the city from City Hall.

[Rosarina Breton]

But no participation in protests. Right.

[Zoran Mamdani]

The important thing is to lead from City Hall. That's what I'll be doing.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Yeah. If I may respond, because I believe my name was invoked.

[Rosarina Breton]

A very brief response. And then I have a question for you.

[Andrew Cuomo]

I dealt with ice. I stood up with ice. I had a war with ICE when I was governed, and I stood, stood them down, and they moved out. What the assemblyman is saying is he doesn't believe in law and order. He believes in defunding the police, disarming the police, disbanding the police. That's who he is. Abolish jails.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Sorry, question for you.

[Rosarina Breton]

15 seconds. And then we do just 15 seconds because we have a question for Mr. Cuomo.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Mr. Cuomo lies again and again and again. I am not running to defund the police. I am running to actually work with the police, to. To deliver public safety. Andrew Cuomo says that he has stood up to ice. He has not said a word about the abductions that are happening right now.

[Rosarina Breton]

He's referring to a previous comment you made. And we will get back to this. But, Mr. Cuomo, a question for you.

[Andrew Cuomo]

It's a comment he made.

[Rosarina Breton]

He's the operative language I understand. I said that as governor, you put the National Guard on standby during the George Floyd protest. You didn't deploy them as mayor. Talk about how you would balance the right to protest with maintaining order in the streets.

[Andrew Cuomo]

The right to protest. The right to protest is a sacred right. There is no doubt about that. But the law is the law also. And you have New Yorkers now who are afraid in this city. They're afraid of Donald Trump coming. They're afraid of that anarchy, and they're afraid of the anarchy in this city itself. We have to provide public safety that makes New Yorkers feel safe. Demonstration is one thing. Violating the law is something else. Blocking public transit is something else. Stopping students from going to class is something else. Harassment, intimidation, that's a hate crime. That's illegal. Enforce the law, respect the police. They're not racists, as the assemblyman calls them. They're not a threat to public safety, as he says. They're not anti queer. They are here to protect New Yorkers. Work with them, fortify them. You know, that's.

[Curtis Sliwa]

That's ironic that you say that now. I'm sorry, Andrew Cuomo, because when you were governor for eight years, your parole board released 43 cop killers back into the street. Your father, when he was governor, released none. Maria, I knew Mario Cuomo.

[Rosarina Breton]

Moving on.

[Curtis Sliwa]

You're no Mario Cuomo. Andrew Cuomo. You released copy. Don't say you're probably briefly.

[Rosarina Breton]

To the comments that Mr. Cuomo raised about things you've said about police. You can do a brief response to that.

[Zoran Mamdani]

I have been clear time and time again that as much as Andrew Cuomo wants to bring up tweets from 2020, which is around the same time that he was sending seniors to their death in nursing homes, I am looking to work with police officers not to defund the nypd. Looking to ensure that officers can actually do one job when they're signing up to join that department. Not the many jobs we're asking them to do.

[Rosarina Breton]

He was specifically about the comments you made. We will come back to that.

[Jack Posobiec]

But.

[Andrew Cuomo]

But we're sitting there waking up candidates and racist.

[Rosarina Breton]

We're moving on.

[Andrew Cuomo]

That's what you said. Your words. Your words.

[Rosarina Breton]

We're moving on. Thank you. Despite record low crime numbers, polls show that crime remains a top concern for New York City voters. The three of you have very different approaches to crime fighting and how to manage the nypd. We want to get into your plans, so we'll start with this question. It's a two part question, but it's short. How will you make the city safer and how you change the NYPD. You'll have one minute. We begin with Mr. Cuomo.

[Andrew Cuomo]

I would add 5,000. Well, let's take a step back. Remember what happened the far left, the Socialists defund the police. Defund the police. They took $1 billion out of the police. The NYPD is now down at one of the lowest levels in modern political history. I would add 5000 police, put 1500 in the subways, raise the starting salary because you can't hire them. You can't even fill a class right now. And you have to add additional police officers because the attrition rate is so high. Part of that is going to be saying to the nypd, I respect you. I don't think you're wicked. As the assemblyman said, I don't think you're corrupt. I don't think you're racist. I value you. I will have your back. I'll be a mayor to work with you. That's how you run it. Police to apply for the jobs. And then we have to work on the relationship between the community and the police. The police can't police the community.

[Rosarina Breton]

They have to police Mr. Sliwa.

[Curtis Sliwa]

This is amazing. I'm standing here with my two adversaries, both of whom have threatened to defund the police. You, Andrew Cuomo, during the summer of 2020, you said, if you don't reform police departments, I'm going to defund you. And you certainly said that. Zorhan Mandami. We need 7,000 police. We only have 32,500. The problem in recruiting police, which neither of you are addressing, is that their insurance was stripped from them. The state. You did nothing when you were governor. And here in the city 2021, the city council and Eric Adams did nothing. They don't have qualified immunity, which you've benefited from. Andrew Cuomo, with the 13 lawsuits filed against you for sexual harassment, Tom Dinapoli says we're paying out $60 million. Why? Because you had your qualified immunity as governor. And yet people have stood by. Police have lost their insurance. That all civil servants.

[Cliff Maloney]

That.

[Curtis Sliwa]

That's why you can't get recruits in because they're not insured. I will return their qualified immunity because they need to be protected like other civil servants.

[Andrew Cuomo]

That is not New York State. It's New York City. Underqualified insurance, unqualified immunity. It's not insurance at all.

[Rosarina Breton]

You are entitled to legal counsel, which is what he's referring to. Yes, you have spent.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Yes, but it's New York City that has revoke qualified immunity. It's not insurance. It's qualified immunity has nothing to do with insurance.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Oh, that protected you in all these.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Lawsuits and yes, the lawsuits, because there was a report filed. I said it was political. It turned out to be political. And that's why all 13 women were lying.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Come on, Andrew. All 13 women were lying for five years. A state trooper, too.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Yeah. After five years, five days, five years of living, I was dropped in the case.

[Rosarina Breton]

Mr. Mohamdani.

[Andrew Cuomo]

In a while.

[Rosarina Breton]

Okay. Mr. Mamdani, how will you make the city safer? And how will you change the nypd?

[Zoran Mamdani]

Thank you. This is the concern for so many New Yorkers, and I am proud to have a comprehensive plan to bring new ideas to this city. If you want more of the same, vote for Andrew Cuomo. If you want an actual approach to lower crime, look at our Department of Community Safety. That is something that has been hailed by experts as addressing so many of the pieces of why New Yorkers are not feeling safe today. We will ensure that no longer are police officers asked to do the job of both policing and responding to the mental health crisis. We will have dedicated teams of mental health outreach workers in the Top hundred subway stations with the highest levels of the mental health crisis and homelessness. We will ensure that cops can finally go back to the response times they used to have in 2020, closer to 11 minutes, as opposed to the closer to 16 minutes today, because they won't be asked to respond to the 200,000 mental health calls that are coming in through 911 every year. This is evidence based. It's been successful elsewhere in the country. It's time we deliver it right here in New York City. It's time for.

[Rosarina Breton]

Thank you, Mr. Mondani.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Your Honor. Mandami. We already had it. The Homeless Outreach Unit.

[Rosarina Breton]

Sorry, this is not a free for all. We have Another question for Mr. Mondani.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Bill de Blasio.

[David Ushery]

Thank you.

[Rosarina Breton]

Excuse me, Mr. Mamdani. We're going to talk about disciplining police officers. The civilian watchdog that investigates police misconduct regularly recommends discipline for cops accused of wrongdoing, but the police commissioner often overrides them. You want to change that policy so that the board has final say? Please explain to viewers in 30 seconds why you believe the police commissioner should no longer have that final say.

[Zoran Mamdani]

What I've said is that I think it's time to remove much of the politics out of the question of accountability. We have the Civilian Complaint Review Board, which, as you said, studies, assesses and investigates into complaints of abuse and the violation of the law. And oftentimes those recommendations are then subject to political pressures and not followed through on. I think New Yorkers deserve a system where they know it won't then be assessed once again that there's actually more to the recommendation in the investigation that's being done by the CCP.

[Rosarina Breton]

Okay, we're wrapping up. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Mamdani. Mr. Cuomo, do you believe changes are needed for how officers are disciplined? And are there any powers that you would give up as mayor? You have 30 seconds.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Yeah. I would not remove the police commissioner from the ccrb. I'd leave it with the police commissioner. I think Commissioner Tish is doing a very good job. I would trust her. The difference between me and the assemblyman is he doesn't like the police. That's why he won't hire more police when everyone else says we need more police. He wants to use social workers on domestic violence calls, which are very dangerous. And he's told you what he thinks. He thinks the police are racist, wicked, corrupt, and a threat to public safety.

[Rosarina Breton]

Thank you. We.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Those are his words.

[Rosarina Breton]

Very quickly, Mr. Mamdani, very quick.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Look, Andrew Cuomo is a Politician of the past, and all he can speak about are the tweets of the past in 2020, those are tweets which I have apologized for to New Yorkers and police officers directly, and they are not what I am actually running on. No, you're capable of actually speaking about the platform that we have here, which is one that will keep New Yorkers safe.

[Rosarina Breton]

Can we just quickly ask you, because I think what some people feel they haven't heard from you. We hear you saying that you don't believe that anymore, and you've apologized. People have not heard you sort of describe the evolution of your thought, how you got from there to here.

[Zoran Mamdani]

You know, growing up in this city, I would think often about safety and justice and the ways in which that that relationship has been irrevocably harmed. When I learned about the Exonerated Five, when I learned about Sean Bell, when I learned about Eric Garner, when I learned about Michael Brown, and then in 2020, when I wrote these tweets, learning about the death of George Floyd. And that was a moment where it felt as if the distance between these two ideals had never been further. And in becoming an assembly member and serving and representing more than 100,000 people in Queensland, learning that to deliver justice means to also deliver safety. And that means leading a city where you recognize the bravery of the men and women who joined the NYPD and put their lives on the line. It means representing the Muslims who were illegally surveilled in my district and the black and brown New Yorkers who've been victims of police brutality.

[Rosarina Breton]

So, Mr. Sliwa, you've been out there, you've been on the trains, and I would like to know if you believe changes are needed of how officers are disciplined.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Let me just suggest, Zorhan, what you've suggested. Zoran.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Curtis.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Zoran.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Thank you.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Excuse me. Let me just suggest what you have proposed with this new police Outrage Unit will endanger women and children in domestic violence situations. I know. I've been involved in so many of them with the Guardian Angels. They will be killed. They will be maimed. Number two, in dealing with emotionally disturbed persons that I have dealt with for all my years as the Guardian Angels, you need trained, professional police officers. Thank you. Yes, you can have mental health workers with that.

[David Ushery]

Thank you.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Mr.

[Curtis Sliwa]

But that has been suggested. It was done before by the homeless outreach. And the guy you thought was the best, Bill de Blasio, disbanded.

[David Ushery]

Mr. Sleewood, thank you. Brief response.

[Zoran Mamdani]

To be very clear, the Department of Community Safety is not about responding to calls of domestic violence. We are speaking about mental health crisis and the homelessness crisis. These are the focuses of the work.

[David Ushery]

That they will do. All right. We have other questions for that a little later in the debate, but we want to just change the pace a little bit. Candidates switching gears to the high cost of living in New York City. To kick us off, we have a few quick pocketbook questions that New Yorkers wrestle with daily. So we want to know how much you spend a week on groceries. We'll begin with you, Mr. Cuomo.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Depends how many times my daughters come over, but probably about $150.

[David Ushery]

Okay. Mr. Sliwa.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Oh, I'd say about $175 with a gallon of milk now $5 and always rising up. Loaf of bread, simple loaf of bread that used to be 99 cents. Mr. $3 now.

[David Ushery]

Thank you.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Prices too.

[David Ushery]

Mr. Sleepworthy, brief answer. Thank you. Mr. Mamdani.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Yeah, I actually agree with Curtis on that. It is too costly now that eggs are down to less than four bucks. The though my average spend every week is about 125, 150.

[David Ushery]

All right. Do you carry credit card debt or do you pay it off every month? Mr. Mamdani?

[Zoran Mamdani]

I pay it off every month.

[David Ushery]

Mr. Cuomo.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Paid off.

[David Ushery]

Mr. Sliwa.

[Curtis Sliwa]

I don't have a credit card. I have a debit card.

[David Ushery]

And for the record, what is your monthly rent or mortgage? Mr. Sliwa?

[Curtis Sliwa]

About 3,900. It's not subsidized as Mr. Mamdani, what.

[David Ushery]

Is your monthly rent, rent or mortgage?

[Zoran Mamdani]

$2,300.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Mr. Cuomo, he has a rent stabilized apartment that a poor person is supposed to have. Mine is about $7,800.

[Rosarina Breton]

We are actually getting to, we're going.

[David Ushery]

To, we're going to cover that subject.

[Rosarina Breton]

Sally, thank you. We're going to talk a little bit more about the runaway rent in this city. Mr. Mamdani, you're pledging to freeze rent for nearly 1 million rent stabilized apartments. That really affects less than half of all rentals in the city. What is your plan for those who aren't in stabilized apartments but are struggling to pay the rent? What are you going to do for them?

[Zoran Mamdani]

Well, I'm proud to say that I yes, we'll freeze the rent for more than 2 million rent stabilized tenants. And I will also build 200,000 truly affordable homes across the five boroughs over the next 10 years to ensure that tenants, whether rents stabilized or market rate, can actually have more housing such that they are not being priced out of this city. And finally, I'm also going to make it easier for the private sector to build housing in the city. Because what we see today is that it's not labor, it's not materials, it's the weight that is often costing so many, so much to actually build the housing we need in this city.

[Rosarina Breton]

Thank you. And a follow up for you, Mr. Mamdani. The cost of maintaining a building change year to year for landlords. The Rent Guidelines Board is legally required to consider those costs when deciding whether to freeze rents. So how can you promise a rent freeze today before ever seeing that data next year? Year?

[Zoran Mamdani]

You know, we've seen the data time and again. It's data.

[Rosarina Breton]

That year's data.

[Zoran Mamdani]

It's been data that's been overruled by mayors again and again. The last Rent Guidelines Board study showed that profits were up 12% for landlords of those units. And what did they do? They raised the rent, adding to more than 12% under Eric Adams administration. What I am speaking about is actually reflecting the needs of these New Yorkers and the state of the market today. These are New Yorkers who have a median household income of $60,000. We do not need to be pushing them further out of the city. We need to keep them in their home.

[Rosarina Breton]

Aren't you seeing in that answer that you are going to prejudge? You will not have seen the data for next year and you're making a determination based on data you haven't seen.

[Zoran Mamdani]

I've seen the data year after year of the fact that salaries are stagnating, costs are up, New Yorkers can't actually afford their apartments. And I will also take action to actually ensure that the landlords of those buildings can better handle their costs by taking on their insurance. It is property taxes and their water.

[Rosarina Breton]

See next year's data. But we're going to go to a question for you on this subject. You have proposed something that you're calling Zoran's Law. You think that Mr. Mandani earns too much to live in his rent stabilized apartment. Though I should note that there are no income tests for rent stabilized apartments. But critics say your plan would force people to pay too much of their income towards the rent. So if you think Mr. Mamdani is gaming the system, what about the other New Yorkers? Thousands of them just like like him, who earn similar salaries, who are living in similar apartments.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Okay, just to follow up on what Sally was saying, because she's right, this is not a new plan that the assemblyman is talking about. It's Bill de Blasio's plan. It was called freeze the rent. Bill de Blasio says the mayor can't say legally he's going to freeze the rent. There's a rent guidelines board. There are certain considerations that have to be looked at. You're right, Sally. You can't say today what it's going to be in four years. Also freeze the rent only postpones the rent because then you have to have an increase to cover the costs, otherwise the building is going to go bankrupt. And it does nothing for the majority of renters who aren't in these rent stabilized units. Does nothing for nycha. There's nothing for homeowners. There's nothing for people in black brown communities who are getting priced out. I was the HUD secretary. I built affordable housing all across this nation. I, I built affordable housing in this city when I was in my 20s. I know how to get it done. I will get it done on the rent stabilized units. What I'm saying is those are the precious units and we should.

[Rosarina Breton]

I'm sorry, we should keep them for the. We didn't get most. We have to move on. But I have a question for you.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Sorry, he invoked me for much of that question. Just a very brief response here, very brief. You know, you've heard it from Andrew Cuomo that the number one crisis in the city, the housing crisis, is the answer is to evict my wife and I. He thinks you address this crisis by unleashing my landlord's ability to raise my rent. If you think that the problem in this city is that my rent is too low, vote for him. If you know the problem in this city is that your rent is too high, vote for me.

[Rosarina Breton]

If I understand it correct, sons of millionaires need subsidized houses would not evict Mr. Mamdani.

[Andrew Cuomo]

It would not evict it.

[Rosarina Breton]

It would apply to people applying for a pardon.

[Andrew Cuomo]

But the tenant advocate it would affect. It would evict no one. This, this would be income limitation for Mrs.

[Curtis Sliwa]

This is like fat in the schoolyard. Let me.

[David Ushery]

No, no, no. Mrs. Rosary has a specific question for you on this.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Yeah, Well, I wanted to talk about affordability. You can obviously address that issue.

[Rosarina Breton]

So you've proposed Mr. Sliwa, plans that would made a point of talking about the struggle of renters and property owners. Describe your plan to help renters and landlords.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Well, first off, we have 6,000 available apartments that a mayor controls, a NYCHA and they've been empty for years. That you address Number one, then we talk about senior citizens who are living here. My whole goal is to improve and not to move. I'm concerned about the seniors, especially those that own homes if they're 65 and make less than $250,000, no property tax. Because the property tax is way too high. We need to cut it in half to keep people who are here. And then in terms of rentals, we have affordable housing that can be built in these huge skyscrapers. You see them all throughout Manhattan and in northern Brooklyn and in Long Island City, which we have 25 Empire State Buildings full of commercial space that will never be occupied for office space. We should be converting them into affordable apartments. They're in dense areas. The infrastructure can support it. I'm the only candidate here who's against the city of that would destroy residential neighborhoods.

[David Ushery]

To interrupt you because we have a programming moment right now. We're about halfway through the mayoral debate. Channel 4 and Telemundo 47 will return to regular programming. But we got a lot to get to. And you can continue watching live on NBC New York, Telemundo 47 streaming and digital platforms Texatos, Politico.com and YouTube. Stay with us us a lot to discuss. Gentlemen, gentlemen.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Thank you.

[David Ushery]

That was kind of a natural point for us to transition. And we want to talk now about transportation and getting around town. And we have a few quick questions about how you get around town. Show of hands. Even though they're in their waning days, who has a Metro card or maybe uses Omnipay?

[Zoran Mamdani]

Uses Omnipay.

[David Ushery]

Omnipay, yeah. Metro card. I mean, I have one, but, you know, I know I'm hanging on to the last.

[Rosarina Breton]

So you're on the subways, Mr. Sleep well. What do you use? I'm just curious if you don't Omni card.

[Curtis Sliwa]

In fact, I get a whole batch. I'm in the subways. I'm in the buses, the express bus. The only candidate.

[David Ushery]

Thank you.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Rides mass transit every day.

[David Ushery]

When you need to get somewhere fast and you can't take the train, do you hail a taxi? Do you use rideshare? Mr. Sleewell, what do you do?

[Curtis Sliwa]

I try to avoid yellow cabs. As you know, I was shot in the back of a yellow cab in 1992 by the Gotti's and Gambinos. But I find my way around if I have to. I Uber if I can't get there by my strength.

[David Ushery]

What do you do, Mr. Ramdani, if you can't take the train?

[Zoran Mamdani]

I would either take a cab or ride a bike.

[David Ushery]

Mr. Cuomo?

[Andrew Cuomo]

I would take a cab. Uber.

[David Ushery]

Okay.

[Zoran Mamdani]

All right.

[David Ushery]

Thanks, gentlemen. Salley.

[Rosarina Breton]

Thank you, David. Let's talk about free buses. Mr. Mamdani, this is a centerpiece of your campaign. Can you explain how you will make buses free? You have 30 seconds to answer.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Absolutely. We will make buses free by replacing the revenue that the MTA currently gets from buses. This is revenue that's around $700 million or so. That's less money than Andrew Cuomo gave to elon Musk and $959 million in tax credits when he was the governor. And the reason that we will do so is that making buses free doesn't just provide economic relief, but also public safety, because what we've seen is that it decreases assaults on bus drivers by 38.9%. New Yorkers deserve more than the slowest buses in the country. I know that because I was on the M57 not too long ago, and its average speed is 4.9 miles per hour.

[Rosarina Breton]

We're at time, though. But the question is how you'll make them free.

[Zoran Mamdani]

We will fund the revenue that would have otherwise been brought in from fares, and that's something that we would do in partnership with Albany. And I've put forward two proposals. The first is to raise taxes on the top 1% of New Yorkers by 2%. That would raise $4 billion. The second is to raise the state's top corporate tax rate to match that of New Jersey, which would raise $5 billion.

[Rosarina Breton]

We're going to move along, but I just want to point out to viewers that Governor Hochul has opposed raising the income tax. But, Melissa, we'll move on to your question.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Could I address that on the buses? Because half the people don't pay this their bus fare to begin with. Zorhad and so on.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Curtis or on.

[Curtis Sliwa]

It's a complete disaster if you have free bus fare. And the Citizens Budget Commission said just last year, 2024, a billion dollars of fare evasion in all different forms. This MTA system will collapse. There's not enough money out there to make up for fare evasion. Pay your fare. If you don't pay your fare, they have fair, fair programs for the poor and the indigent, but everybody should be forced to pay their fare.

[Rosarina Breton]

Mr. Cuomo, you had both praise and some criticism from Mr. Mamdani's free bus pilots. You're sort of in the middle on this issue. What's your plan to make subways and buses more affordable?

[Andrew Cuomo]

I think free Buses is a mistake, of course. About $700 million. Just to give you an idea that we only raise about 500 for congestion pricing. It's been done before in other cities. It was a disaster. They stopped. They basically became mobile homeless gathering places. What I say is free buses for working families who can't afford it and free subways for working families but don't subsidize rich people on a bus. And it's been tried and it's failed.

[Rosarina Breton]

Mr. Mamdani, can you just respond quickly on the point about the mobile homeless gathering places?

[Zoran Mamdani]

You know, this is something that we heard when we were fighting to make buses free in Albany, when we delivered the first fare free bus lines in New York City history. And what we saw is when we made one bus route free in each borough of New York City, there was no increase in homelessness on those buses. There was no increase in fare evasion in the surrounding area. What there was was an increase in ridership of up to 38.

[David Ushery]

Mr. Ramdani, candidates, maybe we can dig deeper on this and get a sense of how all of you would pay for your big ideas. Mr. Ramdani, we'll start with you. We've obviously been talking about free buses, you've talked about free childcare, city run grocery stores. So essentially you're proposing about $10 billion in new spending. And as you've indicated, you want to pay for it with tax increases. But as Sally pointed out, Governor Hochul said no to raising income tax on millionaires. So tell New Yorkers tonight how you're going to pay for all of this in one minute if you can.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Look, a lot of people have called even my campaign a non starter when we first began. And now I stand before you proud to be the Democratic nominee who got the most votes in city primary history. And I believe we will see the same thing with our push to ensure that we are taxing the wealthiest and the most profitable corporations the fair amount that they should pay. Now, there are those who will say that because it will be hard, you should give up. We saw what giving up looked like when Andrew Cuomo was the governor. He gave up on fighting for working class New Yorkers and instead caved in to his billionaire donors. And what did we get? We have the fastest and most frequent helicopter service to the Hamptons and we have the slowest and more expensive bus service across the five boroughs.

[David Ushery]

But again, Mr. Ramdani, I know Governor Hochul indicated this week there may be some, some open windows, but more or less income tax on millionaires is off the table, according to the governor.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Look, I've said very clearly, making buses fast and free costs about $700 million a year. Making universal childcare a reality costs about five or six billion dollars a year. If you raise the state's top corporate tax rate to match that of New Jersey, you'd be raising 5 billion in and of itself.

[David Ushery]

I have a couple of faults. You're next. But I have a couple of faults.

[Zoran Mamdani]

I would just want to add one additional thing. We have also put forward a plan to save money here in New York City with $1 billion in savings through procurement reform, through following the Independent Budget Office's assessment about hiring more fiscal auditors and in actual collecting the fines and fees from bad landlords across the state.

[David Ushery]

Just a quick couple of follow ups. If you could find some of the funding, but not all of it, which of your priorities would come first would be the first among equals that you would try to get done?

[Zoran Mamdani]

Well, freezing the rent doesn't require any fiscal infusion, so that will be something we'll be pursuing immediately. And universal child care after housing is the second cost. Child care is the second cost. Pushing New Yorkers out of this city 22 and a half thousand dollars a year is the estimate we've seen. Okay, that will be a priority for us.

[David Ushery]

And I just want to know, if you could get the money and funding elsewhere, would you drop the call for the tax increase?

[Zoran Mamdani]

Absolutely. The most important thing is funding these agenda items. I think these are the two most important and straightforward direct ways to do so. But if the money comes from elsewhere.

[David Ushery]

Okay, most important thing is. Well, this has A question for Mr.

[Rosarina Breton]

Mr. Sliwa, you've been talking about cutting taxes and spending. So what is your plan and how would you pay for your programs like 7,000 more cops?

[Curtis Sliwa]

Well, Zoran boy, your fantasies are never going to come about in terms of funding. Everything you want is going to be free. Free, free. It's a fantasy. Let's deal with the reality. Seven thousand cops. You already have a plan in Boston where you pay for taxes in the future. This is a great plan in which universities and others who have bought our properties that are now taken from the real estate market and taken from property tax pay. We could raise a billion dollars from Columbia University, NYU that are in the real estate business and Madison Square Garden, your friends Andrew Cuomo, Jimmy Dolan, who pays no property taxes. That's how you raise a billion dollars to get 700 police officers trained, vetted and out into the streets in the five boroughs. And then the police will be on the subways and they will be patrolling the old fashioned way where they need it. Going up and down the moving subway cars where people want to see the visual protection. Especially women who are being assaulted. Perv. And like we saw this morning on 86th Street, a woman with a gun to a head, an armed robbery because we don't have have enough cops.

[Rosarina Breton]

I have a question for you in this topic. And let's talk about history. Because as governor, you've raised and cut taxes. Now you're proposing some tax relief. What's the price tag for your proposals and where will you get the money for, for example, 5,000 new police officers? You have a minute to answer?

[Andrew Cuomo]

Yeah. I think Sally's question was very well taken. The assemblyman's whole plan is based on a myth. He's going to raise taxes. Albany is going to raise taxes statewide on corporations, but the money's only going to go to New York City. That could never happen. It's not just that the governor wouldn't support it. It's impossible. He said he's going to raise the taxes the same as New Jersey. Corporate tax. No, it would be double the tax. You would see New Yorkers on 995 fleeing to Florida. We would be alone. So you have to be realistic with revenue. You have $115 billion budget. You have to go through that city budget and find savings. I started the state it had, which is double the budget of the city at a $10 billion deficit. I closed it and added services. And we can do the same with New York City.

[Rosarina Breton]

Governor, as mayor, you would not increase spending in the New York City budget. Yes or no?

[Andrew Cuomo]

There would be whatever additional spending would be revenue neutral.

[Curtis Sliwa]

So you gotta, you gotta cut taxes for people to stay here.

[Rosarina Breton]

Thank you.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Corporations are not going to stay here. They're being lured south. The cities that are more corporate. You got to cut the property tax, income tax, Those who are 19 to 28 skill levels, if they go to school here.

[David Ushery]

Thank you, Mr. Sliwa.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Andrew Cuomo thinks it's all right to spend some $60 million to fund his legal defense from accusations of more than a dozen women of sexual harassment. But if I say we should spend the same amount of money on delivering cheaper groceries in this city pilot program, that is unfathomable.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Right to respond. Yes.

[David Ushery]

Quickly.

[Andrew Cuomo]

First, I did not bring those lawsuits that was brought. They were brought against the attorney general, which I said was political.

[Rosarina Breton]

Well, those are by individual women and some of them have still been making their way through the courts this year. And.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Yes, And I've been dropped from the cases.

[Rosarina Breton]

Not all of them.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Yeah. And the. What the assemblyman doesn't say is all this money that he wants to pass. The one thing he did do is he voted for a pay raise for himself. They're the highest paid.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Less.

[Rosarina Breton]

I did ask the state. He has the worst week. I did ask the state comptroller's office. This week the total was above 60 million. But just those sexual harassment cases to defend Governor Cuomo and his staff was about 21.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Sorry, it was the sexual harassment.

[Rosarina Breton]

I just want to clarify, because you said 60, but on those it was 21.

[David Ushery]

Thank you. We have to talk about quality of life in the city. Let's turn to everyday life in the city and some issues a mayor can directly impact. We start with a couple of questions about 311. The number new Yorkers call or text for non emergency help. First off, have you ever called 311? And if so, for what? Mr. Mohamdani?

[Zoran Mamdani]

I called 311 for issues with my heating in my apartment. And I've spoken to New Yorkers time and time again who are frustrated by the fact that they can track their Uber eats block by block. But when they call 311 for them to come to their apartment, it's just a question of hoping and praying that they do. There's no actual appointment. That's something that we would change.

[David Ushery]

All right, Mr. Sliwa, have you ever called 311?

[Curtis Sliwa]

You know, there used to be that song 911 is a joke by public enemy 311 is the joke. You can call it over and over and over again. And have you ever?

[David Ushery]

Have you ever? Have you?

[Curtis Sliwa]

The analytics are when the operators talk to you, talk to them.

[David Ushery]

Have you called?

[Curtis Sliwa]

Yes, I've called them many times and got no response.

[David Ushery]

Mr. Cuomo.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Citizens I talk to, subways and streets never get good responses.

[David Ushery]

Mr. Cuomo.

[Andrew Cuomo]

I've heard a lot of complaints about 31 1. So I actually made a call to 311 myself to see if the complaints were bona fide, and I was dropped twice. Then they were going to send someone to find help. A homeless woman in distress, and no one showed up.

[David Ushery]

You're all expressing frustration. Last year, 311 received 38 million contacts from New Yorkers from calls to the website. Wanted to know if you had a sense across five boroughs what the top two categories of complaints were. What do you think they were, Mr. Sleewell?

[Curtis Sliwa]

Potholes. Constantly potholes. People's undercarriages ripped out.

[David Ushery]

Second one, top two.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Rats.

[David Ushery]

Rats. Okay.

[Curtis Sliwa]

The city is flooded with rats.

[David Ushery]

Mr. Cuomo, what do you think the top two complaints were?

[Andrew Cuomo]

Homeless and trash rats.

[Zoran Mamdani]

All right, Mr. Mamdani, there was housing and noise.

[David Ushery]

Okay? So the answer is noise and illegal parking. And we're going to stick with quality of life, Rosarina.

[Rosarina Breton]

That's right. And let's talk about noise candidates, because they fall into these two categories. First of all is the residential one. That's the neighbors and the loud music. And the second one is a street or sidewalk. Everything with a lot of construction and workers outside. So, Mr. Cuomo, as mayor, what can you do to help the city that never sleeps? Get a little bit of rest, Mr. Cuomo.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Yeah, look, I think if the 311 system worked well, if there was actually contact with people, I think New Yorkers would get it. I think New Yorkers would be responsive. I think we have to change the ethos in this city. The ethic in this city. Right now, it's toxic. It's divisive. Everyone's angry at everyone. I think when we have public safety that's functional again and New Yorkers are part of that system, I think they would be more cooperative.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Thank you.

[Rosarina Breton]

Thank you very much.

[Zoran Mamdani]

There's no proposal.

[Rosarina Breton]

Mr. Sliwa, how would you. Quiet a little bit. The city that never sleeps in the.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Outer boroughs, I see problems all the time. Quality of life issues. 18 wheel tractor trailers, RVs parked everywhere, garbage that's not picked up and collected in the city. We've seen trash cans taken away by the sanitation department, Jessica Tisch, when she was the commissioner, the quality of life has diminished noticeably. So naturally, people are going to revert to 311. But it's important that a mayor be able to provide services to all the people. And they believe if quality of life is diminished, the next stop is sell your house and leave the city. And my goal is to improve and not move.

[Rosarina Breton]

Mr. Mamdani, your turn.

[Zoran Mamdani]

What we've seen is one of the biggest sources of noise in this city is from congestion. And with the implementation of congestion pricing, we've actually seen noise complaints drop in the congestion zone. And so I would continue to find ways to ensure that we have reduced congestion across the city. City. And one of the ways is by making the slowest buses in America, ones that are fast and free, so that New Yorkers can not only live a life of excellent quality of life, but also be able to get around this city without having to worry if they have $2.90 or soon to be $3 in their pocket, which is already out of reach for 1 in 5 New Yorkers.

[Curtis Sliwa]

We have here the author of congestion pricing, and we have the apprentice of congestion pricing. We might need the only candidate who. Who's opposed to congestion pricing. It is LED storefronts closing because they don't have enough.

[Rosarina Breton]

Otherwise. We might have to place a call to 311 about candidates going over there a lot of time. Okay, so we're going to move on to.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Don't worry.

[Rosarina Breton]

We're going to move on to illegal parking plaques in many neighborhoods. Recently, Councilmember Lincoln Ressler released a study that found 450 vehicles parked illegally during the day in downtown Brooklyn, many with fake or government placards. That's just one snapshot of the city. But you hear similar complaints everywhere. So how would you fix this specific situation? You'll have 30 seconds. Mr. Sliwill will begin with you.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Well, obviously, placards have been abused consistently. You have people who've created fake placards. Not only that, you have people with fake license plates, paper plates. There's all violations against the Department of Transportation rules and regulations of where you can park a vehicle. There's just no enforcement. And that's because we don't have police. We have these e bikes going up and down. We have the motorbikes. They're not following rules and regulations. They should be licensed. They should have a way of being identified. This way, enforcement is out. People are terrified walking out into the street.

[Rosarina Breton]

Mr. Mamdani, your plan for illegal parking.

[Zoran Mamdani]

We have to showcase that accountability is true, whether for New Yorkers who are just living in this city or those who are working for this city. And the violation of traffic laws are violations, no matter who is doing it. And to show that that accountability is something my city government's actually going to pursue.

[Rosarina Breton]

Okay, Mr. Cuomo.

[Andrew Cuomo]

On the quality of life, you're right. Is very, very important. On the. On the placards, I would make it simple. I would recall all the city placards and reissue only those that are bona fide, period. On day one. On the quality of life issues, the worst thing that could happen is if the assemblyman's proposal for legalizing prostitution went through. That would be terrible for the quality of life. He also doesn't want to enforce misdemeanors getting to that. Assault, larceny, etc.

[Rosarina Breton]

That would be time to address that.

[Zoran Mamdani]

I want to be very clear. Not only have I never called for the legalization of prostitution, I'm not calling for that. Today, either. And I also have never said anything about not enforcing misdemeanors. This is just yet another figment of Andrew Cuomo's imagination.

[Andrew Cuomo]

The dsa, which you give your part of your salary to, that's their position. Abolish jails, no new carceral facilities, don't enforce misdemeanors. And you're on the bill in Albany as a sponsor to decriminalize prostitution.

[Zoran Mamdani]

The difference between myself and Andrew Cuomo, of which there are many, is that there is no one that is actually telling me what to do, other than the eight and a half million people who call this city home. You want my policies? You'll find them on my website.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Who told you to legalize prostitution?

[Curtis Sliwa]

Okay, wait. We actually have a question. You can't escape this. You signed the law. Doing away with loitering for prostitution. That was the law put forward by Jesse.

[David Ushery]

Gentlemen.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Started the prostitution. All right, gentlemen.

[David Ushery]

Mr. Sliwa.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Mr. Sleeping Heights and Flushing.

[David Ushery]

Mr. Sliwa, we have.

[Curtis Sliwa]

And you want to add to it. You don't just change the quality of life.

[David Ushery]

Mr. Sliwa, when I talk over you, nobody's hearing you. And we actually have a question on that. So we'll let Rosarina ask.

[Rosarina Breton]

And for this question, candidates, we want to come to Queens, where we know that prostitution has been an ongoing complaint. Mayor Adams. Force. Form a task force. And order sweeps by the nypd. But the situation continues, especially around the very popular Roseboro avenue. As mayor, Mr. Mandani, how would you handle this situation? You have 30 seconds.

[Zoran Mamdani]

I want to first be clear that I am not and nor have I ever called for the legalization of prostitution. And if you are happy with what's happening on Roosevelt Avenue, then you should vote for Andrew Cuomo, because his policy is to continue the exact same ones we've seen under Eric Adams. My policy is to actually take on sex trafficking, to have a zero tolerance for violence against women, and to follow the advice of district attorneys that we have here in New York City. The current Manhattan da, The former Manhattan da, The current Brooklyn da, The former Manhattan da. Having said that, prosecuting women for prostitution is something that actually leads to less safety. And what we need to do is provide an economy opportunity.

[Rosarina Breton]

Mr. Mumbatti, just a quick. Just a quick clarification. So no legalization about decriminalization.

[Zoran Mamdani]

I do not think that we should be prosecuting women who are struggling, who are currently being thrown in jail, and then being offered job opportunities. I think we should be actually providing those kinds of opportunities at the first point of interaction.

[Rosarina Breton]

Mr. Cuomo, your turn.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Look, Bill de Blasio, the assemblyman is a mini me bdb, okay? He's Bill de Blasio. Light. He proposed legalizing prostitution. He didn't get it and he just told the cops, don't arrest any more prostitutes. There is a bill in Albany that he signed that says the prostitution, that a woman who is a prostitute, that would be decriminalized. That is what the bill says and that's what he said. If you listen very carefully, that would take Roosevelt Avenue and exploded because it would make it legal for prostitutes.

[Rosarina Breton]

Real quick, how would you handle this situation?

[Andrew Cuomo]

You have to enforce the law. It's illegal. I went to Roosevelt Avenue. I talked to the store owners, I talked to the neighbors. I walked down Roosevelt Avenue. I prostitutes there at 9:00 o' clock in the morning.

[Rosarina Breton]

Your turn. Mrs. Siwa.

[Curtis Sliwa]

I've dealt with this. Back in the 80s and 90s in Hell's Kitchen, in Chelsea, when they were overrun with open air prostitution and Times Square, you don't go after the women. The women are the victims here. You lock up the Johns, you shame the Johns. You let everybody know about the johns, the madams and the pimps need to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. And these absentee landlords who knowingly rent their rooms, their apartments out for the use of prostitution, the Department of Building should come in, padlock the building, seize the building. Because many of these landlords live in Delray, Florida. They did back in the 80s and 90s when we did it in Chelsea and Times Square and Hell's Kitchen.

[Rosarina Breton]

Thank you.

[Curtis Sliwa]

And they're doing it again. And thank you, Mr. Law Enforcement. That's why the prosecution.

[David Ushery]

We're going to go to Sally now.

[Rosarina Breton]

Thank you, David. We're going to talk a bit about experience and beliefs. We've covered a lot of ground tonight, but we want to probe a bit deeper into each of your mindsets and how you'll approach governing as mayor. Mr. Cuomo, you have touted your experience on the campaign trail time and again, but you pretty squarely lost the democratic primary to Mr. Mamdani, forcing you, a lifelong Democrat, to run as an independent. When you announced that decision, you said, quote, when you get knocked down, learn the lesson and pick yourself back up. What lesson did you learn and what do you feel it said about you? Something you did wrong, something that you need to change about yourself?

[Andrew Cuomo]

Yeah, I think in the primary campaign, I did not do enough on social media, which is a very effective medium. Now, I think the Assemblyman did do a better job on TikTok and social media than I did during the campaign, and that has changed now. I've also increased my activity significantly, but my agenda is exactly the same. I am the Democrat, although I'm not on the Democratic line. He is a democratic socialist, called Barack Obama evil and a liar. Didn't vote for Kamala Harris. Fight and deliver is. I will fight for people. I will fight the bureaucracy and I will deliver results. New Yorkers need the mayor to get something done. This is all words and theories. I am a manager who can have something done.

[Rosarina Breton]

This is a question about self reflection. Is the thing you're reflecting on the most that you need to be on social media more. Was there any other deeper lesson that.

[Andrew Cuomo]

You between the two campaigns? Social media, more accessibility.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Okay, I just have to say it's been an hour and 20 minutes of this debate and we haven't heard Governor Cuomo say the word affordability. That's why he lost the primary. That's why he'll lose the general election. And you can lie all you want, but the truth is I voted for Kamala Harris. I'm the only candidate on this stage, I to have the endorsement of Kamala Harris. And I'm not the one who's funded by Bill Ackman who called Kamala Harris unqualified to be the Vice president of this country.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Okay, may I respond? Yes.

[Rosarina Breton]

Brief response, please.

[Andrew Cuomo]

There are a lot of New Yorkers who support me and there are a lot of Jewish New Yorkers who support me because they think you're anti Semitic. So it's not about Trump or Republican. It's about you.

[David Ushery]

Do you think he's anti Semitic?

[Andrew Cuomo]

Mr. I don't make those judgments about people. Are you a racist? Are you an anti Semite? I know there are many Jewish people who believe he is anti Semitic. I believe not condemning the globalized intifada. What he has said about Hamas, I can see where they are inflamed.

[Rosarina Breton]

Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt. I covered your speech in an Upper west side synagogue where you said anti Zionism is anti anti Semitism. There is no difference. And you were talking about Mr. Mamdani. Is that not an allegation?

[Andrew Cuomo]

No, I make that statement all the time. I wasn't referring to Mannami.

[David Ushery]

Okay. All right, Mr. Bomdani, a brief response then. We have to move on.

[Zoran Mamdani]

I have denounced Hamas again and again and it will never be enough for Andrew Cuomo because what he is willing to say, even though not on this stage, is to Call me the first Muslim on the precipice of leading this city a terrorist sympathizer is to send mailers that artificially lengthen my beard is to say to New Yorkers that they should be what I will do.

[David Ushery]

Melissa has a specific question for you, Donnie.

[Rosarina Breton]

You are the Democratic nominee and you're also a member, as we've been discussing, of a political organization that may be less familiar to New Yorkers, the Democratic Socialists of America, which believes in dismantling capitalism. New York City is the global headquarters of the finance industry. So how would you be the mayor of Wall Street? Wall street and the dsa? You have one minute.

[Zoran Mamdani]

I would be the mayor of this entire city. And that means ensuring that the wealth that we generate in this city is also wealth that every single New Yorker can actually feel in their pockets. Because what we have today is a system that has generated the most wealth in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, where one in four of our neighbors are living in poverty. That's unacceptable. We can't look at 500,000 kids hungry every single night as just the cost of doing business in this city. That's something we have to actually change. And I'm going to do that by fighting for my neighbors in Queens that I've come to know who are not only the ones who own teapots and toy stores, who own diners and dry cleaners, but also the ones who work there. Because right now all of them are being pushed out of this city by corporate greed, by private equity, and by a politics that refuses to fight for them. I will finally just a quick follow up.

[Rosarina Breton]

Mr. Mamdani, a lot of Hispanics that flee socialism and are a little bit scared to hear your policies. What would you tell them?

[Zoran Mamdani]

Well, I would first say that I wouldn't be here without the support of Latino New Yorkers because it was the majority of their support that helped to make me the Democratic nominee. And what Democratic socialism means is a belief in the dignity of each and every New Yorker and the responsibility city government has to deliver that dignity. That's why I'm speaking about childcare, because it's pricing out New Yorkers from the city. That's why I'm speaking about freezing the rent, because housing isn't a human right in the way that we practice our politics in this city. And that's why I'm talking about making buses fast and free, because 1 in 5 New Yorkers are being priced out of public transit today.

[Rosarina Breton]

Rosarino. So, Mr. Sliwan, I would like to talk to you because you were here with us four years ago in the same stage for the general election debate and you lost it. Why do you believe New York is ready to elect a Republican this time around?

[Curtis Sliwa]

First off, did I not warn you four years ago that Eric Adams would be corrupt and we would have chaos? Did I not? Of course I did. And I get praised for that. Now I'm trying to get people to vote for me, not just on the Republican line, but also my wife Nancy, who is the best thing that has ever happened to me, created the first ever independent protect animals line, which calls for no kill shelters and putting animal abusers in jail. But the other thing that differentiates me from both of my adversaries is that I am opposed to this City of Yes, which will destroy the residential neighborhoods. Both of them are for the City of Yes. So when you vote for me, whether on the Republican line or the protect animals line, turn your ballot over and vote no on all those initiative and referendums. Imagine they've said, how can you, Curtis, a Republican, work with a Democratic majority in the council? Adrian Adams is in agreement with me. The Democratic City Council people are in agreement with me. No to the City of Yes, which will take your home and provide you instead with lithium ion battery warehouses. Thank you. House, which are like miniature nobles.

[David Ushery]

Thank you.

[Curtis Sliwa]

The only candidate who is opposed to the City of Yes.

[David Ushery]

Thank you.

[Rosarina Breton]

Can I. I have a quick follow to that. Mr. Slew it. How do you bring down costs if you don't build more housing?

[Curtis Sliwa]

Oh, it's very simple to build housing. You just look in New York City, we have so many dense areas where you no longer can use the commercial space that used to be office space and you just convert it into residential housing. You don't need to go into the outer. You don't need to use wetlands plans, which they do. If you build a new building, it takes five years if you convert.

[David Ushery]

All right, Mr. Sleewood, thank you. We want to change the pace. Want to change the pace and just get a sense of what you think about political leadership. We're curious about who you admire. Who is the best modern day US President, Mr. Cuomo.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Modern day. Well, I'm partial. I was Bill Clinton's Housing and Urban Development Secretary. We built affordable housing all across the United States. Empowerment zones. I would say Bill Clinton.

[David Ushery]

Okay. Mr. Mamdani.

[Zoran Mamdani]

I would say FDR.

[David Ushery]

Mr. Sliwa.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Modern day modern man. I'd say FDR also, if that's modern day Mr. Sliwa.

[Curtis Sliwa]

A man that ended up Being loved by Democrats and Republicans alike. The greatest governor we've ever had in my lifetime, George Pataki. Three terms, no chaos, no corruption.

[David Ushery]

I was.

[Curtis Sliwa]

He actually beat president.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Governor and this modern day US President.

[David Ushery]

Who'S who, you thought the best modern.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Best president in our lifetime, or I would say the best president in our lifetime that I've experienced. I would go back to Ronald Reagan.

[David Ushery]

Okay, how about the best New York City mayor, Mr. Salilwa?

[Curtis Sliwa]

Best new York City mayor, Rudy Giuliani, who endorsed me last week. And I'd have a little bit of Michael Bloomberg thrown in because he liked his responsibility.

[Zoran Mamdani]

I think the best New York City mayor of all time is Fiorello Laguardia.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Mr. Cuomo, it was Bill de Blasio last debate.

[Zoran Mamdani]

No, I've always said Fiorello is the best mayor of all time.

[David Ushery]

Who's yours, Mr. Cuomo?

[Andrew Cuomo]

Is it of all time or modern time?

[David Ushery]

Best New York City mayor in Europe of all time.

[Andrew Cuomo]

It is Fiorello LaGuardia. We agree. Recently, I would say Mayor Dinkins and Mayor Bloomberg.

[David Ushery]

Okay, how about the political leader, dead or alive, you most admire, Mr. Mamdani?

[Zoran Mamdani]

I would say I admire Bernie Sanders.

[David Ushery]

Mr. Cuomo, my father, Mr. Sleewa.

[Curtis Sliwa]

I said it already. George Pataki was loved by Democrats and Republicans. And the greatest mayor in our lifetime, Greatest Governor.

[David Ushery]

I just have one more before Sally starts to ask you about schools. A show of hands. Who supports Kathy Hochul for reelection?

[Zoran Mamdani]

It's a decision that should be made after this general election.

[David Ushery]

So no decision, Mr. Cuomo, you handpicked her as your lieutenant governor. No.

[Andrew Cuomo]

You have to know who's running.

[David Ushery]

Yeah. Okay, so.

[Zoran Mamdani]

And I would add that I do think that Kathy Hochul, our governor, has been doing a good job in not only supporting.

[David Ushery]

Do you support her for reelection?

[Zoran Mamdani]

Not only delivering for New Yorkers, but also standing up to Donald Trump.

[David Ushery]

Just what do you support it for?

[Zoran Mamdani]

Re election.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Endorser.

[Zoran Mamdani]

I'm focusing on November.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Why don't you endorse her?

[Zoran Mamdani]

I appreciate her support and I appreciate her work.

[Andrew Cuomo]

But you're going to endorse her.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Shout out for Lee Stefanik to take out Kathy Hochul. Republican. Mayor Curtis, a Republican. Governor Stefanik, thank you. Like Giuliani.

[David Ushery]

You want to talk about school?

[Curtis Sliwa]

Save this city.

[David Ushery]

You want to talk about schools, Sally.

[Rosarina Breton]

Okay. Thank you, David. Let's turn to education. There are a number of issues facing looks like schools. One that's been controversial in the campaign is the Gifted and talented program, which offers accelerated instruction to elementary school children. Mr. Mamdani, you have said that you want to phase out the gifted and talented program, while Mr. Cuomo and Mr. Sliwa want to expand it. Mr. Sliwa, we will start with you. What is your plan for the program? You have one minute.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Gifted and talented.

[Rosarina Breton]

Yes, gifted and talented.

[Curtis Sliwa]

I have two younger sons with Melinda Katz, the Queen's da. They both attempted to get into gifted and talented as four year olds. They failed. It did not present a problem with their future education. We don't have enough slots right now. They're 1,900. We need to have at least 5,000 slots around the city. What they have not done at the Department of Education is make these tests available in black and Hispanic communities. So, for instance, you have 77,000 children who are four years old. Only 10,000 have taken the test. Only 2,000 are accepted. Why not offer the test to all 77,000? And even if a gifted and talented class only has three or four in a minority school, give these children an opportunity to excel, too. That would make it fair for Everybody.

[Rosarina Breton]

Thank you. Mr. Cuomo, how does your plan differ from Mr. Sliwa's? You also have one minute.

[Andrew Cuomo]

First, I support mayoral control. I think it would be a terrible mistake to roll back mayoral control. That's probably been the most dramatic educational reform in 40 years. We'd go back to the old system that had local school boards which were corrupt, patronage mills, et cetera. So who runs the system is number one. I would expand gifted and talented programs. Accessibility. I'd offer preparatory courses to any student parent that wanted to take them. I double the number of specialized high schools from 9 to 18. And I would keep the SHSAT as it is.

[Rosarina Breton]

Thank you. And Mr. Montgomery, can I add one thing?

[Curtis Sliwa]

There's been no discussion about vocational high schools, which save so many young men and women. We need to expand vocational training for those who are not going to achieve.

[Rosarina Breton]

We're going to go in here with Mr. Mamdani. Why should the gifted and talented program be phased out, in your opinion? You have a minute to answer.

[Zoran Mamdani]

So I want to be very clear. I have spoken solely of gifted and talented for kindergarteners. I do not believe that kindergarteners should be subject to a singular assessment. I have not spoken of any gifted and talented programs older than for kindergarten. I'm solely speaking about kindergarten. And I believe that we should be delivering the the best education across the country here in this city. We will do that by following through on the proposals I've put Forward to hire 1,000 more teachers every single year through our community to classroom Program, one that will ensure that we're providing each student, whether they be in high school or someone who is an adult looking to become a teacher, with $12,000 in tuition subsidies so that they can start to fulfill the 7 to 9,000 additional teachers we need so that we can actually deliver on the Class Size Reduction act, which I was proud to pass in Albany, that will ensure that children and teachers actually have a manageable ratio in that classroom so that they can learn. Because today that learning is being rendered impossible by the number of kids in that same classroom. It's time to make sure that that number is lower.

[Rosarina Breton]

Thanks, gentlemen.

[Andrew Cuomo]

But you believe the mayor should run this system?

[Zoran Mamdani]

I've been critical of mayoral control because of the ways in which it's been used to take away the voice of parents, of educators, of students. And I think it's important that those same voices be a part of how we lead the system.

[Andrew Cuomo]

So are you for or against mayoral control?

[Zoran Mamdani]

I've been critical of it. I'm against mayoral control, and I think that there's an importance of developing something that actually enshrines all of those voices together.

[Rosarina Breton]

Mr. Cuomo, you also tried to curtail it when Mayor de Blasio was mayor. I'm sorry? Did you hear what you said? No, I was saying you proposed a curtailment of mayoral control when Mayor de Blasio was mayor. During the.

[Andrew Cuomo]

There's been multiple modifications of mayoral control, but some.

[Rosarina Breton]

Some proposed curtailment at your hand. So if you are such a champion of it tonight.

[Andrew Cuomo]

No, I never. I never. I never proposed reversing mayoral control.

[Rosarina Breton]

No. Shortening the duration of time he would have control of school.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Yes. For renewal.

[Zoran Mamdani]

The renewal.

[Rosarina Breton]

How much control of schools. Mr. Mandani, how much control of schools would you be giving up? Is it just a sharing arrangement I know you want to share with the districts and with parents? Or would you be giving up and is that an accountability problem if the buck doesn't stop with you?

[Zoran Mamdani]

I think the mayor needs to retain the accountability so that New Yorkers know exactly who they can come to when they have critiques. And I think we also have to develop a system where we don't have what we saw just recently, where you have hours and hours of parents and teachers and students testifying, only to be overruled without any consideration by the panel on the.

[Rosarina Breton]

Thank you, Mr. Maldani. I have. Switching. Switching now. It's a question for all three of you. Switching to students with learning challenges, parents of students with dyslexia, adhd, and autism. Are very well aware of the fact that the school system in New York City is not doing enough to meet their children's educational needs. How will you help these parents and students? We know that Mayor Adams has expanded evaluations specifically for children with dyslexia. It was an issue close to his heart. But what would you do more broadly, Mr. Mamdani?

[Zoran Mamdani]

You know, I think some of the initiatives that Mayor Adams has launched, especially with this chancellor, have been showing positive signs, especially for literacy and for preparedness, especially as we're in a national crisis on reading and mathematical comprehension. And I think those are programs that should be furthered, should be invested in, all while also ensuring that we're giving teachers greater flexibility in the curriculum that they're actually teaching. Because what I've heard from many of those teachers is that too often the curriculum that's being procured in the $10 billion a year in DOE contracts is one that has little relation to the law.

[Rosarina Breton]

Thank you, Mr. Mamdani. Mr. Sleeo, you have 30 seconds.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Yes.

[Curtis Sliwa]

We have $41,000 that we're spending on each student. Now, by fourth grade, two thirds of these children cannot read, write, or do math at grade level. We should be ashamed of ourselves for that. 100,000 less students than we had last year. One third are truants. We have 200 schools with 200 students or less. And Michael Mogul determines which schools stay open. Eric Adams is not exhibiting mayoral control. The mayor should run the Board of Education. The old Board of Education. It is now the Department of Education, the bureaucracy. You have 13 deputy chancellors. You have 50 department heads that suck up all the money I was asked, still reaching into their pockets to pay for badly needed supplies for the children in the class. The money should be going to the students and the children and young adults, and it's not.

[Rosarina Breton]

Mr. Cuomo, what is your specific plan to deal with the challenges of students who have learning differences?

[Andrew Cuomo]

We are losing young families when their child becomes of school age. They leave the city. They go to the suburbs, they go to New Jersey. They're not going to sacrifice their child on what they think is the secondary education system. The core competency. Reading and math below 50% is a disgrace. The gifted and talented programs gives people hope. I do believe Mayor Adams has made progress on the evaluations and services for children who require special needs and assistance. But obviously, we have to do more.

[Rosarina Breton]

So we have another question about improving schools. And in the last year, the school schools ENROLL More than 36,000 migrant students, many learning English for the first time from class size to bilingual teachers. That puts a big strain in the system. Mr. Cuomo, what can you do to help migrant students, but also the staff? You have 30 seconds.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Well, first, I think it was wrong of the state to put so many migrants in New York City. New York City had the overwhelming majority of migrants, but they were already here, close to about 80%. The state should have put them all across the state. Nassau, Suffolk, upstate. So other governments could have also.

[Rosarina Breton]

Well, they were bused here from Texas, and we have a situation.

[Andrew Cuomo]

But if they bust in Texas, you could have brought some to Nassau, 20 miles.

[Rosarina Breton]

Yeah, but they're here right now. We're asking about the current problem.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Yes, well, that's how the problem was created. Okay, we understand the state put them here. The state gave the city the bill. It has now increased the challenge in our education system. The state is going to have to help financially.

[Rosarina Breton]

So you didn't answer the question, Mr. Mamdani. It's your chance.

[Zoran Mamdani]

You know, when I spoke about our Community to classroom program, the importance of it is not just bringing in 1,000 more teachers every year, it's also that we would bring in a number of more bilingual educators. Because what we've heard from a number of adults who have taught in other countries, now live in New York City is the process by which they get their certification approved. To teach here is one that is onerous and one that is actually pricing many of them out. That's why this is a program that will directly address that, to increase that bilingual capacity in our school system so that we can teach every single child, no matter when they got here.

[Rosarina Breton]

But, Mr. Public Education Mamdani, this certification has been offered, and it hasn't been successful. So how can you make more teachers to be, you know, like, they want to do this?

[Zoran Mamdani]

But part of what I've heard is that the tuition costs as part of the same certification exams are onerous for many of these adults looking to switch careers. That's why this program is built upon providing $12,000 in tuition assistance that would lead to 1,000 more teachers every year.

[Rosarina Breton]

And also salaries will be good.

[Curtis Sliwa]

We have not just migrant children. We have the children of the homeless, over 120,000. We haven't yet discussed charter schools, parochial schools that are called closing. Normally, parochial schools would have been able to take some of these children. We need to expand the number of charter schools that are doing an amazing job, especially in the inner cities. And why not make that available to migrant children and to the homeless children who are coming from shelters all across the city who need the special teaching skills that have lifted children in the charter schools. We need to give choice because that's almost precious resource our children.

[Rosarina Breton]

So allow me to now move on into the.

[Andrew Cuomo]

I agree on the charter schools.

[Rosarina Breton]

Thank you, Mr. Coleman. So allow me now to enter into the sanctuary city situation. And let's talk about also undocumented immigrants. 26 Federal Plaza has become a flagship in federal immigration crackdown. We reported that asylum seekers are showing up for like those routine appointments, not facing any criminal challenges and they end up being deported. So by the show of hands, we would like to know if you believe that you, any of you could do something to stop this. Okay, so Mr. Cuomo, you have a minute to explain us, what would you do?

[Andrew Cuomo]

The law is the law. And I would have an attorney assigned to every person who is undergoing any review by the federal government or any legal proceedings and put the full weight of the city government behind it and make sure they are legally protected.

[Rosarina Breton]

Mr. Slee, what was your plan?

[Curtis Sliwa]

Look, going after the criminals, that's the job of Immigration and Naturalization Service, ice. But when they have to perform under a quota, because I speak to many of the men and women who serve this country, it's putting too much pressure to go outside of courthouses, to go Home Depot, shape ups or the backs of restaurants and hospitality businesses which have hired these migrants and they are essential workers. Now, I can tell you, I have three sons. None of them are going to do that work. Some Americans will, but most won't. We need to protect the migrants who are workers, who are essential workers and use ICE to go after the drug dealers, the gang bangers, the sexual predators, and those who are sex trafficking and involved in narco terrorism.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Mr. Madani, you know, I'd be proud to fee the first immigrant mayor of this city in generations. And it's a 26 federal plaza that I've seen what used to be moments when New Yorkers would be getting their citizenship turn into moments of tragedy where judges are asking New Yorkers who are there for a routine immigration check in whether they're prepared to leave in the very same clothes that they arrived to that courthouse. I agree that we need more legal representation. I also think we need to actually be able to stand up to Donald Trump, because I heard from pastor in East Flatbush, Pastor Galbraith, who told me how he accompanied a member of his congregation to 26 Federal Plaza. He sat there as a judge was determining her fate. They managed to convince the judge to replace the deportation order with A TPS order. But they knew that ICE would not care about that change, and they had to sprint her out of the building, smuggling her into the elevator, in order to get her back to Brooklyn.

[David Ushery]

Thank you, candidates. I want to talk about New York City's economy and change the pace a little bit. Everyone supports growing New York City's economy. The mayor is our chief salesman to the business world. So we want to mix it up, test your persuasive power. So we're calling it an elevator pitch. And we'll start with you, Mr. Mohammedani. In this scenario, imagine you're talking to the CEO of a big tech company deciding to move its headquarters to New York City or to Dallas. The CEO is concerned New York just raised its corporate taxes and employees will pay more for everything. Look into the camera and make your pitch to that CEO to come here and not there. Do it in 30 seconds.

[Zoran Mamdani]

New York City has something that Dallas or no other city across this country could actually offer, and that is the quality of life. That is the arts and the culture. That is the people that make the city so special. And I, as the mayor of this city, will deliver that quality of life, will deliver the safety that is the cornerstone of an affordability agenda, and will ensure that companies choose to come to this city and also choose to stay in this city. Because so much of what drives the tech sector is a hunger for innovation, a unrepentant desire to actually innovate. And those are the very things that are going to characterize my city government.

[David Ushery]

But what do you say to the CEO about the corporate taxes and also the staggering costs for the workers?

[Zoran Mamdani]

We are going to make this city more affordable so that workers who want to work at those companies can actually be able to do so. And we're going to ensure that this city continues to be one where we see businesses opening and also staying open.

[David Ushery]

All right, thank you, Sally.

[Rosarina Breton]

Mr. Cuomo, something of a reverse scenario for you. The CEO of a similar company with 1,000 good jobs tells you she's very close to. To moving her headquarters out of New York City. She cites everything from taxes to the crushing cost of living for her employees in New York City. How do you convince that CEO to stay? Please look into the camera and make your elevator pitch. You have 30 seconds.

[Curtis Sliwa]

We know that the other companies in New York City. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

[Andrew Cuomo]

The question is, to me, in this camera.

[Rosarina Breton]

Yes. The question is how you would convince the CEO of a company with a thousand good jobs who's looking to move out of New York City because of the high cost of living for her employees and taxes. How you would convince her to stay in New York City.

[Andrew Cuomo]

In 15 seconds.

[Rosarina Breton]

30. Okay, 30 seconds.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Okay, I get it. I understand your frustration. I understand that the far left has been raising taxes and making businesses feel like the enemy. We get it. That's gone. The dsa, the socialist orientation. We're not socialists. It didn't work in Venezuela, didn't work in Cuba, didn't work here. We know that we have to work with business. We want to be your partner. We want to have taxes that help us grow our city, but are competitive for you. And we want to partner to grow your business and our city together.

[Rosarina Breton]

Thank you, Mr. Sleewart. Let's talk about business because let's assume the big tech company that we pitched to Mr. Mamdani earlier has decided to move to New York. And it's a thousand good paying jobs and the CEO wants to be based in Astoria, Queens. But there's a loud pushback of residents who don't want the noise and the traffic. How can you convince the residents to accept the new neighborhood? You're speaking to a very powerful community. How can you convince them?

[Curtis Sliwa]

Well, we saw that with Amazon. Amazon wanted to come in and AOC led the charge and local elected officials to say no to Amazon. That was a big mistake. I would say this. Our companies are being recruited away by the day. We have young people who are going to school here who could fill their needs in these high tech industries who also are being lured away. We need to cut their income taxes for five years. Tell them if you go to school here, graduate here, no income taxes for five years. It's an income tax holiday. And the most important thing, we have to be able to assure the executives that this will be a city where we don't lock up toothpaste any longer, but lock up the criminals who make it intolerable to have a good quality of life.

[David Ushery]

Thank you.

[Rosarina Breton]

We need to move on to a.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Subject that is Democratic Socialists of America. That stopped Amazon and cost us 25,000 jobs.

[Rosarina Breton]

So thank you, Mr. Cuomo. We need to move on to a crisis that is very important to a lot of voters and that is people struggling with mental health problems. Roughly 500 times a day, someone calls 911 about an emotionally disturbed person. And in a limited number of those cases, when the person is not believed to be violent, social workers are dispatched instead of police. Mr. Mamdani, you want to do that on a much larger scale. So we want to know how will this work? When will you send police versus social workers? You have one minute.

[Zoran Mamdani]

You know, we have a program here in New York City called Be Heard that is attempting to do this kind of work. But we've had a mayor who has ensured that it's been unsuccessful to the extent that even when there was an assessment of about 60% of calls that could have been addressed by B. Heard instead of the nypd, Be Heard was not actually responsive to it. And that's because we haven't had the political will to deliver on what is a crisis that affects so many New Yorkers, which is the mental health crisis. What my plan will do, an innovative plan of the Department of Community Safety will take what has worked elsewhere in the country, a program in Eugene, Oregon, where they took 24,911 mental health calls out of the police department. They were able to respond to all but 311 without police assistance. When there is a concern for safety or of violence, absolutely. You would have the police there. But what we are doing today is actually ensuring that every single call is going to the police and not allowing them to do the work that they signed up to do.

[Rosarina Breton]

How will you determine whether there is a concern for safety or violence? What is the line between the calls in which police will be dispatched and the calls to which social workers will be dispatched?

[Zoran Mamdani]

The line is also going to be one focused on violence and the threat of violence. And I also trust the operators who will be receiving those calls to make that determination, as they do every day today for so many emergency services.

[Rosarina Breton]

And just two really quick points, please. There has been a lot of discussion that you would send social workers to domestic violence calls which police are concerned about. So you're saying no. Okay. And then the other question is, how can you be sure that a situation that does not sound violent when someone calls 911 does not become violent in the moment? Would police be assigned as backup?

[Zoran Mamdani]

I think what you do is you actually follow the experts that have shown us this can work when you're willing to ensure that you're trusting the mental health experts who have been doing this work elsewhere in the country where they call for the police when they need the police, but their initial impulse when there's no violence in that call, is to actually address the mental health at the heart of it.

[Rosarina Breton]

Okay. Mr. Sliwa, you have encountered plenty of these types of situations in your decades of work with the Guardian Angels. So do you see this approach working? You're not a police officer, but you've helped out in situations.

[Andrew Cuomo]

No. Run.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Boy, another fantasy that's not real. Eugene, Oregon. Have you ever been to Eugene? I've been to Eugene. Come on, this is New York City. We have so many emotionally disturbed persons that are in need of help. I will tell you this, Andrew. You closed the mental health beds that were taking care of them 40,000 when you came into office, down to 4,000 because of your cuts, which forced these people to live in the streets, in the parks and the subways. These people need to be removed. They need mental health care. We need to make our shelters safe. I've been in one third of the 300 shelters run by the Department of Homeless Services. It's Darwinian. There. Survival of the fittest. If we can make our shelter system safe, we can get men and women who are homeless in there, especially veterans who are not giving any attention to who we put out in wards island at 10 o' clock at night, release during the day. Don't give any training, have them roam about. And obviously, when you have nothing to do, you end up getting into trouble. This is a disastrous homeless and emotionally disturbed plan that we have in New York City, and I'm the mayor. That can change it, because I deal with them every day in the streets, in the park.

[Rosarina Breton]

Okay, Mr. Cuomo, do you think that the NYPD handles these calls for emotionally disturbed people in distress? Well, is that. Is there room for something in the middle?

[Andrew Cuomo]

Yeah, I think the assemblyman deals in theory. There's an advantage when you actually have experience. I've run homeless programs. I ran the homeless programs for the federal government. I've worked with cities all across the nation. When you get a call on a telephone about a mentally ill person who may be violent, it is a very dangerous situation. And I think you should have a mental health worker accompanied with a police officer, because these can be explosive situations. I have been in situations that seemed apparently calm and fine and then erupted into violence very quickly, and it got very dangerous very quickly. So I would have a social worker with a police officer and get the people off the streets. That's the humane thing. And get them the care they need, not institutionalize 40,000 people again. We have supportive housing now, which is what we use, and forensic beds for people who need them.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Let me get this straight. A police officer is there first. He has to wait for the arrival of a mental health.

[Andrew Cuomo]

I would send them as a team.

[Curtis Sliwa]

As a team. That's not. That's not realistic. You're dealing with fantasy. Also, the police officers are going to be the first one on the scene.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Okay.

[Curtis Sliwa]

And they're always going to have to deal with it.

[Zoran Mamdani]

First and foremost, he has experienced running homeless programs. What he has experience doing is cutting funding for the very programs that prevented homelessness here in New York City. As the governor, he cut funding for the Advantage program, which was putting New Yorkers who had otherwise been in shelters, otherwise been homeless, into apartments. I met one of those. Mr. Cuomo briefly told me how that pushed her out on.

[David Ushery]

Thank you, Mr. Madadi, brief response.

[Andrew Colvin]

Mr.

[Andrew Cuomo]

He's talking about a program 14 years ago that was a pilot program that had a work requirement. It was very controversial. It was $65 million.

[Rosarina Breton]

You're talking about Advantage. Just so we know, the Advantage program.

[Andrew Cuomo]

It was 14 years ago. 65 million. I added billions to the homeless budget. Funded the homeless budget larger than any governor in history.

[David Ushery]

Okay, okay. We want to talk about.

[Zoran Mamdani]

He cut that program. Homelessness skyrocketed.

[Andrew Cuomo]

14 years ago.

[David Ushery]

All right.

[Rosarina Breton]

It was during the Bloomberg administration. Administration. And yes. Okay, okay.

[David Ushery]

I want to ask you about climate change. As New York City confronts the impact of climate change, one issue already on the desk of the next mayor is Local Law 97, passed in 2019, the law requires large buildings to gradually reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. That may require very expensive upgrades to buildings which some landlords and co op owners say they just simply can't afford. We're wondering how each of you would enforce the law. You have 30 seconds, Mr. Cuomo.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Local law 97, I support. Implementing the law is going to be the key because it has to be done in a way that isn't so disruptive to businesses and residences that they just give up and pay the fine and don't even try to comply, which is what is going to happen now. It will be cheaper for them to pay the fine, then comply, and that obviously will accomplish nothing. So yes, I support the law. Yes, we have to implement it, but we have to implement it in a way that is feasible.

[David Ushery]

Thank you, Ms. Colomb.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Mr. Sliwa, Local 97 will destroy those people who have invested in co ops and condos. There's 100,000. It's forcing them to electrify. Now you, Andrew Cuomo, took Indian point offline. 25% of our electrical capacity with no replacement. Replacement, which has caused skyrocketing electricity bills. And now we're going to force condo and co op owners to electrify. Maintenance fees will go up 30%. These people will be leaving their condos and they need relief. When I'm mayor, I slow that Process down. We need our co op owners and condo owners to stay here in New York City.

[David Ushery]

Inoculate briefly.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Point. Yeah. Indian Point was started before me. It was a very dangerous situation. We have nuclear facilities upstate. And I. My proposal and what I did is run cables from the nuclear facilities upstate to bring the power to downstate. Indian Point was in. It had 20 million people in the kill zone.

[David Ushery]

Thank you, Mr. Cuomo. Mr. Mamdani, Local Law 97. How would you enforce the law as mayor?

[Zoran Mamdani]

I support the law, and I would also make it easier for condo and co op owners to comply with the law, because what I've heard from so many is that it's cheaper to pay the fine than to actually get into compliance. And I think the city has a role here in procurement at a large scale of so much of what is necessary in these infrastructure investments. We've seen it be done in the clean energy challenge within nycha. It's time to do it right here in New York City to assist those condo and co op owners in meeting the standards we desperately need to hit.

[Rosarina Breton]

Okay, Gentlemen, New York City loves its parades, and the mayor is often front and center. You have all said that you want to be mayor for all New Yorkers. So will you march in all the parades that mayors have traditionally marched in, or are there any that you would boycott? Mr. Sliwa, I think a mayor has.

[Curtis Sliwa]

A responsibility whenever possible, to march in parades to celebrate whatever that parade is performing. As I've been a grand marshal of the Pulaski Day parade I was proud of to celebrate.

[Rosarina Breton]

Are there any that boycott, though? I just need to move this along. Excuse me, would you boycott any of the city's parades?

[Curtis Sliwa]

No, I would not boycott any parade. It's a mayor's responsibility to be available to all racial, ethnic, religious groups.

[Andrew Cuomo]

No, I wouldn't. Unless they discriminated.

[Rosarina Breton]

Okay.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Mr. Mamdani, there are many parades that I would not be attending because I'd be focusing on the work of leading this city.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Which parades?

[David Ushery]

Which number?

[Zoran Mamdani]

I've already missed a number of those parades because I've been trying.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Can you tell us possible?

[Rosarina Breton]

Okay.

[Zoran Mamdani]

I don't have the list of all the parades I've missed.

[Cliff Maloney]

Wow, that's.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Mayor should be going to all parades.

[Rosarina Breton]

Let me ask you this. Are there any parades that don't exist that you think should.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Mr. Mamdani, I haven't thought much about parades, to be honest with you, Mr.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Cuomo, I have not thought. I don't even know what parade doesn't exist.

[Rosarina Breton]

Could be for anything.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Mr. Sliwa, every parade has the right to. To exist in New York City. I would ask you.

[Rosarina Breton]

Thank you.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Would you protect the Christopher Columbus statues that exist here in the city?

[Zoran Mamdani]

I'm telling you, my focus is on affordability. I'm not thinking about.

[Curtis Sliwa]

You're not answering the question.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Thank you.

[Curtis Sliwa]

You're not answering.

[Andrew Cuomo]

We have gave the finger to. The Columbus Day statute has come up. That's what we call it. This.

[David Ushery]

Listen, we're in the last couple of minutes, and we thought that means some questions. We thought we have some questions that maybe give a glimpse into your life, your personality away from the political podium. What's your go to breakfast order at the bodega, Mr. Sliwa?

[Curtis Sliwa]

Oh, eggs and cheese on a roll, no salt, please.

[David Ushery]

Mr. Cuomo?

[Andrew Cuomo]

Same thing, no salt.

[David Ushery]

Also, Mr. Mamdani.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Egg and cheese on a roll with jalapenos.

[Rosarina Breton]

Yum.

[David Ushery]

Have you ever purchased anything in a cannabis shop? And if so, what did you buy? Mr. Mamdani?

[Curtis Sliwa]

I have.

[Zoran Mamdani]

I have purchased marijuana at a legal cannabis shop.

[Jack Posobiec]

Okay.

[David Ushery]

Mr. Cuomo?

[Andrew Cuomo]

No.

[David Ushery]

Mr. Sliwa, when I was shot five.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Times, I've had Crohn's disease. I did use medical marijuana.

[Tyler Boyer]

Yes.

[David Ushery]

Okay. In a dream scenario, we know it's not possible, but the Mets are playing game seven of the World Series on the same night as the Knicks are playing game seven of the NBA championship. And you can only go to one. Which one will it be, Mr. Sliwa?

[Curtis Sliwa]

Again, which baseball team?

[David Ushery]

This is the Mets, game seven. Knicks, game seven.

[Curtis Sliwa]

I'm not going to the Mets game. I'm a Yankee fan. True baseball fans. Either like one or the other. I'm going to the Knicks game. That's my team, the Knicks.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Mr. Cuomo, I'm going to go half and half. I can make it back and forth.

[Zoran Mamdani]

All right, Mr. Ramdani, this is what New Yorkers are sick of. Just pick a team.

[David Ushery]

What's your answer?

[Zoran Mamdani]

I'd be there for. For the Knicks.

[David Ushery]

Okay, well, there's a lot of ground covered. We'll leave it on that light. Note. Thank you, candidates for a spirited debate. We thank you as well. We hope you got a lot out of it. New York City viewers, New York City voters, the New York City Campaign Finance Board, we thank heartily and we urge you to check out their website, nycvotes.org from all of us here. We certainly thank you for watching. And remember, go vote on Tuesday, November 4th. Have a good night.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Foreign.

[Jack Posobiec]

Okay, so we just saw the New York mayoral debate. It was a two hour Debate or thank you for everyone who had to watch all of that communism, all that socialism. And honestly, I just got to say right off the bat, well run debate. I thought it was a well run debate. I thought it was good job by the moderators. All right, I'm being told now that we have everyone here. That is good. So Andrew, of course, had to leave earlier. He was making his way to a flight. But we've got the great Cliff Maloney. What's up, Cliff?

[Cliff Maloney]

Good to see y'.

[Tyler Boyer]

All.

[Jack Posobiec]

Good to see you. Mikey McCoy, he's there and he's the only one of us actually in Phoenix right now. For once.

[Mikey McCoy]

This feels weird being the only one in the studio.

[Jack Posobiec]

Right. I gotta be honest.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Yeah.

[Jack Posobiec]

And Tyler Boyer, who is, who is on assignment.

[Tyler Boyer]

Guys, how are we doing?

[Jack Posobiec]

What's up? So. So I kind of threw my, my piece out. Cliff, you were earlier. Let's go. Let's go. Tyler, you know what, what were some of your takeaways from the debate?

[Tyler Boyer]

Yeah, I agree with you, Jack. It was a really well run debate. I was expecting absolute chaos because you have a communist, a guy who has a lot of piercings, and another guy who really can't usually stop talking, all on the stage at the same time. And my expectation was just an absolute circus of a debate. And it actually was like an enjoyably long debate. I think actually most debates should be about that length and cover as many substantive topics like they did. I mean, it's a lot of stuff that most Americans really can't totally comprehend because it's New York City specific inner city garbage stuff that really shouldn't exist. But you have to talk about, I guess, if you're from New York City.

[Curtis Sliwa]

So.

[Tyler Boyer]

Yeah, anyways, I thought it was a really great, well run debate.

[Jack Posobiec]

Mikey, what do you think, man?

[Mikey McCoy]

Yeah, I thought this was the most New York debate ever because you have these two New Yorkers on stage arguing on who loves the Jews more. And then you have mom Donnie saying the craziest stuff on stage. And you have, you got mom Donnie saying we need rent controlled buildings and we need to fix everything. And then you got Sliwa going up there in every other sentence. He's going, you know, in my day when we had the Guardian angels, we would patrol the streets and keep it clean. And then Cuomo doesn't really know what's going on, somehow ties it all back to. To protecting the Jewish community, which is great. That's a big community in New York. But I did think it was very New York. And then on Top of that, you have the two DEI sign language hires who have the green sheep behind them. And I think that they automatically thought that maybe a set would pop up if they put a green sheet behind them. But I thought it was good. I thought the moderator did well. I thought maybe the moderator could have started by holding up a Chipotle bowl and saying, Mr. Momdonnie, how do you eat this? With your hands or a fork? I. I thought that we really missed out on that one. But other than that, I thought it.

[Jack Posobiec]

Was a pretty good debate. Oh, my gosh. Okay. He's like going to the Media Matters article right at this point.

[Tyler Boyer]

Today.

[Zoran Mamdani]

He.

[Tyler Boyer]

Mikey had. We had a clip last week of. He's like, I really like thot crime. And he thinking about it all week, and he just came in with the most content. I mean, I think we can close up shop.

[Curtis Sliwa]

That's.

[Tyler Boyer]

That's great.

[Mikey McCoy]

He covered everything.

[Jack Posobiec]

Yeah, it's pretty good. I was, like, trying to be all serious. I'm like, oh, yeah, it was good. B. Tyler's like, oh, substantive issues.

[Tyler Boyer]

No, easy.

[David Ushery]

Let me.

[Cliff Maloney]

Let me jump in real quick and say that. You know, what was fascinating to me is this idea that it's the true Democrat Party, which means both Cuomo and Mamdani, you could tell every answer was not, oh, I want to present something because I have a plan or I have some sort of vision. It was, who am I not allowed to offend? Every single answer. You could see him kind of pausing. I don't want to offend this group, so I have to answer this correctly. I don't want to offend that group. You know, at least Curtis went in as the Republican with some actual solutions. But I just feel like that represents the Democratic Party today is they're just worried about offending people. It's all about this, these classes and virtue signaling. And to me, it was a good debate and that the structure, I think, went well, but there was no real policy positions that got anybody excited. I didn't think they really went deep on any of that. Mamdani said, hey, we want everything to be free. They didn't really push back on him. I will say this, though. I thought they went after Cuomo pretty tough on a lot of the follow ups. I mean, they really inserted themselves as if they were kind of fact checking in the moment, but they only seem to do that for him.

[Tyler Boyer]

Yeah, they went really easy on Mamdani on a lot of the follow ups, which was, you know, kind of expected because it's just the communist propaganda that you see coming out of the, the elections department in New York City. But I mean, everything Mamdani said was just totally rehearsed, totally fake. Nothing he actually believes, you know. You know, Cuomo did a nice job saying that. A lot of times I'm just pointing out, hey, you actually said this and now you're here. And then he didn't really give any real explanations as to why he changed his tune in very short format after becoming the Democratic nominee. But here we are with, with you know, potential communist as mayor of New York City here. And, and that's.

[Jack Posobiec]

Yeah, I'm just gonna say it right, you know, so, so coming in, Madame was the front runner. And you know, Sliwa, a lot of people are looking at him as kind of like a spoiler. They're saying, okay, you know, if you'd put, and I think the latest Quinnipiac poll said slee was at 15, Cuomo is at 33, and then Madame's at 46. So if you put the two of them together, they'd be at 48 and they'd, that Cuomo would be the lead, but instead, and, and obviously not all that 15 would go over, but instead, you know, it's, it's, it's just this split ticket. And so Mandani was the one who needed to have a pitch perfect night. And I got to say, I, I don't know that either of those guys laid a finger on him. I'm just going to say it. Do, do you guys think there was any moment where they, you know, where they got in and really got some shots in, scored some points? I, I didn't really see anything. I'll throw it to you guys though.

[Cliff Maloney]

I'll jump in and say that. I think when it comes to authenticity, Mom, Donnie destroyed it. He, he just, he comes across as a likable guy. He's young, he looks fresh. Obviously, the things that he stands for, we all vehemently disagree with, but I think that's the almost reminded me, I hate to say it like this, but it was almost like Trump versus the other candidates. Now look, a lot of the other candidates in the debates, especially 2016, you know, I like a lot of them, they're good on policy. But you know, Shane Gillis in his stand up bit about the debates, he's like, this wasn't fair. You know, they brought Trump in, who's a professional at this, a TV guy, and he's up against all these other people that are professional politicians. And that's what tonight felt like. I felt like Cuomo and Sliwa, you know, they didn't do bad, but they really struggled even just looking at the camera. You know, we know this because we do this game. But like every single answer, mom dummy is eyes to the camera, talking confidently, calmly, smiling at the end, answering questions directly. I mean, I've never said this many positive things about a socialist in my entire life. But the other two just seem to be the old school of just thinking that they're going to answer the political way. I think Mom Dhommi connected.

[Mikey McCoy]

Yeah, I think it's important to point out how likable he is also to the younger generation. Both millennials and Gen Z and I keep talking about this, but there's a crossroads that's coming where young people need to pick as a solution to their problems to go to the right or to turn to the left. But either way there's going to need to be radical change. And so Mamdani is this young, fresh cut, good looking, looks at the camera, clean cut, and he's offering a solution, though radical. It's a socialist solution. And when you think about it, Gen Z and millennials, these are the ones that are the users of BNPL programs. They're the generations most in debt. And so they're being offered a solution that's out of the norm. And for a lot of them, the ones living in New York, they've had Cuomo and they've had kind of the status quo for so long. And I think they're hopeful to see change and the only change that they're actually offered. Mom Donnie. And so I think he's really appealing to a lot of them. And I think you're spot on, Cliff. I think he was super appealing on this entire debate.

[Jack Posobiec]

Do we have. Guys, I want to go in and play some of these, play some of the clips. I want to ask though as well, do we have that clip about the mosques by any chance? I don't know if we have that. Let's play real here though. This, this, this kind of speaks to what Mikey was just saying though. Play Clip 314.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Andrew Cuomo is a politician of the past and all he can speak about are the tweets of the past in 2020. Those are tweets which I have apologized for to New Yorkers and police officers directly. And they are not what I am actually running on. No, you're not capable of actually speaking about the platform that we have here, which is one that will keep New Yorkers safe.

[Jack Posobiec]

And there, I mean, you Just hear it. He's the politician of the past. He's the one that is from time immemorial. He's obviously tied to his family being in New York for a long time. And so it's tough to be a Cuomo and say you're running as a change candidate. I mean, I just don't really know how you do that politically.

[Tyler Boyer]

Yeah, I, you know, just kind of piggybacking on that. It's, you know, Cuomo is just such a, such an unlikable guy that it's just such an unfortunate situation where you have this juxtaposition of likable bad policies and unlikable, really just slightly less bad policies and unlikable good policies. You know, that's just, that's the, that's unfortunately the construct of, of every good campaign that runs. You have to be likable. You have to become across as someone that people connect with. And mom, Donnie is a outsider looking, Obama esque young messenger who he clearly sat down and was told and coached that he could not come across tonight as, you know, angry or defensive or opportunistic. He was really smart in how he answered questions, which was moderation and quiet and calm and likable. And so that's just the winning formula for him right now because it's his race to lose at this point, unfortunately. And all he had to do was make, you know, take more away from, you know, a bad, unlikable Democrat candidate. And I think he was successful, unfortunately, at that tonight. And that's part of the reason why so many people have hesitancy to tell Curtis Lewis to get out of the race. Because you've got a guy that is not good at all. And I'll point to one specific example, is they were like arguing over why mom Donnie hasn't endorsed Kathy Hochul. Well, that's not exactly the person that instills a lot of confidence with all the Republicans that you have to try to win over in the city is making the point in the debate that the governor deserves an endorsement from the Cuomo clan. So again, and that governor may end up, and Curtis Lewal was right, is that there's a really good chance that you're going to have a Republican governor in the state of New York. And that may be the only way to hold Mamdani in check. But, you know, Cuomo didn't get the message and he showed up tonight and he was like carrying the water for the Democratic establishment, which that may be the only thing that you can do at this Point, I don't know, but it doesn't instill a ton of confidence. And the person that's trying to pull together a unit to take out the Communists.

[Cliff Maloney]

Well, let's talk about Cuomo's biggest drop ball. And that, to me, was when they asked him, hey, is there anything that you've learned or. Or somehow that you've improved and experience or something of a deep level? And he literally said, social media. He said, I wasn't on Tick Tock before, but now I'm gonna focus on. And then they went back to him. They said, sir, we're talking about you learning about something that you feel like you've gained some experience. But, Cliff, it was so.

[Jack Posobiec]

His answer was so bad, they tried to give the old man a second chance.

[Cliff Maloney]

It's not just TikTok, buddy. There's a couple other things.

[Mikey McCoy]

Yeah, I mean, just echoing how unappealing both of these candidates, other than Zohran Mamdani, are to the younger generation. Sliwa. Look, personally speaking, I think he is so unlikable and unappealing to the younger eye. I think he's just. He keeps quoting the Guardian Angels over and over again. And to us, we don't even know what that is. And I was texting my friends who live in New York. They don't even know what that is. That's from, like, a different generation, I feel like. And then on top of that, you have him saying, you know, for transportation, he's not gonna take a yellow cab. Cause, you know, the cavities and the Gambonis shot me when I was in the back of a cab. And it just seems too, like, theatrical at times with him. And for Cuomo, he's. He's saying that he's one of the biggest takeaways or one of the newest things he's done is get on TikTok on social media. It's just he doesn't understand the younger generation. I don't think either of them do. I think Zoran Mamdani, to the independent voter, is just, you know, if I'm going to vote, I might as well vote for Mamdani, since he's the only one. But they didn't spend enough time talking about his policies that are so beyond radical. Things that could actually sway voters away from him, which is, you know, the decriminalization of prostitution or bringing only fans culture, which is just so toxic. He wants this on the streets. Like you want to turn New York into a third world country. And they didn't talk about this enough they didn't bring it up enough. They didn't hammer him on it enough. It's. I don't know. I don't think that they did enough that they should have done to push back on him and his policies. I mean, this. He's literally the most radical candidate in the country right now when it comes to some of his policies.

[Jack Posobiec]

I want to give a point of that because this is a clip that'll actually illustrate what you're saying. Play Clip 305.

[Andrew Cuomo]

He literally has never had a job. On his resume it says he interned for his mother. This is not a job for a first timer. Any day you could have a hurricane. You, God forbid, a 9, 11, a health pandemic. If you don't know what you're doing, people have to.

[Rosarina Breton]

Mr. Momdani want to respond.

[Zoran Mamdani]

And if we have a health pandemic, then why would New Yorkers turn back to the governor who sent seniors to their death in nursing homes? That's the kind of experience that's on offer here today. What I don't have in experience, I make up for in integrity. And what you don't have in integrity, you could never make up for in experience.

[Jack Posobiec]

I mean, literally just torched him, Literally.

[Tyler Boyer]

Buried him.

[Mikey McCoy]

Yeah, again, I mean, he basically just gave points over to the younger generation for Gen Z. They're graduating college with a labor market that's already shrinking with degrees and jobs that don't even exist. And so they see this candidate who's getting made fun of on a national stage for not having a job when most Gen Z can't even find jobs right now. So you just basically won him more points with the younger generation. And then on top of that, they just saw Zo Ron Mamdani absolutely destroy Cuomo. He's winning more points. Congratulations, Cuomo.

[Cliff Maloney]

Well, and I think Cuomo.

[Jack Posobiec]

Is that what I was going to ask you? Because how does that, like, you think that's going to work with younger voters, or you think that's going to work with his base? He's appealing.

[Curtis Sliwa]

You're.

[Jack Posobiec]

You're burnishing his credentials to his core base by saying, oh, you've never had a real job. And it's like, well, neither have so many of them. That's kind of the whole point, right? And then you turn around and it's like, dude, you're a Cuomo. Like, you want to talk about somebody's dad and mom being famous and help you getting a job, like your whole career is based on nepotism. So, I mean, it is what it Is like, I just wouldn't open myself up. And then he opens his up with COVID which is, like, going to. Which is going to blast him with anyone who might still be undecided or independent. I mean, it. Like, I thought this guy was supposed to be a good politician. I'm, like, not really sure what happened here.

[Cliff Maloney]

Well, and I think, look, you have to pick a lane, right? You have to pick a lane. I think Cuomo's problem is he's just all over the map. I mean, and when you're running as a change candidate, the problem is the past that you want to change. You used to be governor, so you're running this whole campaign trying to call out that we need to fix things, because obviously New York is in the, you know, the gutter at the moment, and you have to then call out things from the past. And to bring up Covid to me, like, that was just. I mean, everybody knows how bad he was on Covet, even people on the left. I mean, when I was in New York City, you guys remember, you had to have the COVID pass just to literally eat right. Luckily, I won't admit this on air because it might be a felony, but luckily I had a card on me and was able to get into some restaurants. But, like, that was horrific. And so many people. I don't care what side of the aisle you're on, they don't forget that stuff. And so you can't run as a change candidate if you were part of the things that you're now trying to change. It doesn't add up.

[Mikey McCoy]

Yeah, I just imagine if Cuomo hit back with a long list of. Wait, aren't you the candidate for end cash bail, repeal walking while trans ban, decriminalize sex work, legalize marijuana, permit safe injection sites, state run grocery store stores, restrict solidary confinement, enact elder parole. He could have hit him back, but he. I don't even think he prepped for this debate. I don't. I, like, I don't.

[David Ushery]

Know.

[Jack Posobiec]

His prep was like, I'm going to hang out and I'm going to. I'm going to beat him up because he never had a real job. And I'm going to show how good I am. I'm Andrew Cuomo, and I'm going to do. This is going to be great.

[Andrew Cuomo]

And I'm going to come in there.

[Jack Posobiec]

And talk about all the things that I did when I was. I was the governor and, and Trump and Covid, and I'm sorry, it's like, it was.

[Tyler Boyer]

Where's was very Biden where's trying to connect with voters. It was very Biden esque. Like his whole thing, it wasn't obviously bad and, and you know, empty as Biden was, but it was the same type of attitude which was like, but.

[Jack Posobiec]

We'Re going to run it back like.

[Tyler Boyer]

What I did with Obama and we're going to come back and we're going to do this all over again and again. That just never works. Like people just don't believe it. They don't believe that, that Cuomo was good to begin with. He's right now just like I'm a little scared of mom Donnie and so I'm going to throw my vote his way. But he did nothing to actually show he's, he's a, a qualified leader for any party and certainly not for the largest city in America. I, I would, I would also point out one thing too is that his, his intent to, you know, go after mom Donnie seemed like it was just like ax grinding type stuff throughout the whole thing. Like he was just upset that Democrats within the city had kind of cast him aside. And again that just, that just we've seen this over and over again throughout American history. Whenever you try that, even when you're extraordinarily popular, people sense that and they sense the kind of self righteousness when you're in that. And that's all that came through tonight was I'm great. Just like Joe Biden would do when he, when he would talk and everyone would be like, oh no Joe, stop talking. And it just comes across extraordinarily disingenuous.

[Cliff Maloney]

I think one of the biggest missteps from both not Mondavi, but the other two was they really didn't paint him into the radical corner and to expose him for a lot of things. Mikey, you just read off a lot of the list. But the funniest part was the moment that showed me just how radical Mamdani is was not the others calling him out, it was him saying FDR was his favorite president. That to me was like, it's such a calculated response. But the fact that he didn't say Obama. I was thinking to myself like, you know, I didn't know he had past statements against Obama. I mean this guy is about as far to the left as you can get. But that to me was a pretty big moment that he would say FDR over Obama. I don't really know what that says or who he's playing to, but that to me was pretty wild.

[Jack Posobiec]

I want to play this clip Here, because this is something that Charlie talked about a lot. And here it is coming up live in the New York City mayoral debate.

[Zoran Mamdani]

It's clip 332 in the Democratic primary for him to set foot in a mosque. He had more than 10 years, and he couldn't name a single mosque at the last debate we had that he visited. And what Muslims want in this city is what every community wants and deserves. They want equality and they want respect. And it took me to get you to even see those Muslims as part of this city. And that, frankly, is something that is shameful and is why so many New Yorkers have lost faith in this politics.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Yeah, except that is I worked with a Muslim community for many, many years.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Name a single mosque you went to when you were the governor. Can you name a single mosque you went to in 10 years before you were ever here? They were before I was here.

[Jack Posobiec]

So we are, what, 24 years since nine, 11. Two and two and a half decades, give or take. And at the New York City mayoral debate, a serious question is being held. An accusation. You didn't go to a mosque. How dare you not go to a mosque. Charlie always warned about the Islamization of America. I think that. And we were talking in the preview a little bit that with Andrew that, you know, I think going to London and seeing how far it had come and then coming back and realizing that that was coming to New York, I think that had a huge impression on him. And there you go. That's exactly what Charlie predicted. That. That becomes a question and a huge moment inside the debate in New York City itself. Mikey, you. You were on that trip with him to, to Oxford and Cambridge. And when he came back and. And made those comments, is that, is that something that you think really kind of drove where he was coming from?

[Mikey McCoy]

Yeah, big time. But not just in London, which is now basically a third world Sharia hellhole. And when you're in your. Yeah, exactly, London, Stan. When you're in your hotel room in London, you're going through the TV channels and you realize that they have Qatar TV and they have Omar tv and they have. And it goes down the list. Syria tv, and they have every single Middle Eastern country's TV networks. And you realize this is no longer London. This is no longer the United Kingdom. And recently it's debated right now if Qatar actually owns more land in London than. Than the Royal family does. And I'm 99% sure that's true. And they're just buying up land nonstop. And it's not just In London, it's in Oxford, it was in Cambridge. Both in the student body that we saw, but also in the towns. You'd see these beautiful towns that are picturesque from medieval England that have just been destroyed and desecrated by a big mosque that's blaring music in the middle of the day, like Dearborn, Michigan. And I think the trajectory is really scary here in America's biggest city, that the debate is about visiting a mosque. Charlie warned about this all the time, but what's gonna be next? Did you as governor, not approve Sharia law 10 years from now? I'm really worried with the trajectory that this is headed. Charlie was a big advocate about warning of the Islamization of America. It's coming. It's a threat. They outbreed. They will take over everything they touch. And then the sword comes. So I think this is a big threat and a big warning sign to America that in America's biggest city, this is a debate topic.

[Curtis Sliwa]

What?

[Mikey McCoy]

What?

[Jack Posobiec]

That's. That's wild. And look, so let me ask one of the other old heads around here, Cliff, can you believe that we're sitting here again two and a half decades after watching those towers come down, finding out who did that? And then. And then this becomes a centerpiece of the debate. New York, same city.

[Cliff Maloney]

Yeah. And like I said, I mean, this debate really didn't go deep on a lot of issues. So for them to spend so much time on this issue, you know, to me, just shows that the party has kind of lost its way. No, I would have never guessed that, you know, two decades later that this becomes a topic that we discuss. But I agree with you guys. I mean, I went to London and I think the trips, when you see it, it's very different. I think Elon Musk was the first person to really post about it. I'm like, well, you know, but when you go there and you kind of see how they turn into third world countries with this endless immigration, and then we're looking at New York City, the finance capital of the world, and that's the topic of discussion. I mean, that should be a moment of self reflection for all of us. Right? We're not talking about lowering taxes, we're not talking about creating jobs. We're doing a litmus test on if a person running for political office has been in a mosque. I think that's a wild, wild interaction.

[Tyler Boyer]

Yeah. And I would just point out, too, it's really scary what's going to be happening here to New York, because we've talked a lot about the communization, whatever you want to call it, adding more communism and socialism to the city. I mean, this guy is literally a member of dsa, the Democratic Socialists of America. These guys celebrate the Russian Revolution as a holiday. That's who these people are. They celebrate the Russian Revolution. And we're going to see this complete change in New York of in groups and out groups as far as culture goes. But as people are coming in, I mean, we're going to have eradication of culture within New York City as we know it with people leaving the city. We already had literally hundreds of thousands of people leave the city permanently from New York during COVID And now you're going to have, because of the election of this mayor, tons of people leave. But it's not just the communism that you're going to see take place and take footing. You're going to see a dramatic increase of Islam in the city. Certainly. I mean, it's. And this isn't, you know, looking at this from just a pure racial standpoint or ethnic standpoint. It's just, it's just the facts that when you have somebody that represents the city, New York City, they're likely to attract more of, of that culture to the city. And if you have a ton of people leaving because they feel like communism is taking over the city, who is going to move into the city? And that's why the Islamization of London and other European cities is, is so in line with New York City. Where you're going to see this, you're going to have this really happen in a big way. The same way that we've seen it happen with different subgroups, like in Toronto, like we just talked about London within Berlin, you know, cities that we've seen all over Europe, including Italy, where there's, you have this infighting that's happening. It's going to create such tension because culture is unstable and that people are leaving in such big numbers that it's going to be really, really bad. And what that means in the very simple terms for most that we're not really talking about very directly is crime is going to go up. There's going to be instability amongst our, our caregivers within the medical community. Police are going to struggle to fill jobs. Because when you have people leave the city, that's not just, you know, businessmen who don't like communism. It's also, you know, good Republican police officers and conservative police officers, whether they're conservative Democrats or they're actual conservatives. They're going to be leaving the city and getting better jobs elsewhere within communities that they feel more comfortable serving. So this is a real problem for New York City. There's a number of chain reactions that are going to take place that come from the decision making of the Democrat Party to basically hand over all of their. The cultural elements to communists and Islamists. And that is what's going to start to make up the context of the future of the Democrat Party. And that, I mean, the winner here is the Republican Party if we can pull ourselves together and actually represent core values to American citizens in a very clear and concise and open way. But Mamdani is now going to be the face. Whether they like it or not, he will be the face of the Democrat Party in America.

[Jack Posobiec]

I don't think that's right. I want to throw it here, by the way, to a very good friend of ours. Play Clip 335.

[Curtis Sliwa]

And people say, I like Mamdani because he's authentic. But authentic to what?

[Zoran Mamdani]

And what is he aiming towards?

[Mikey McCoy]

He's aiming towards a devolution.

[Curtis Sliwa]

It's bad either way.

[Mikey McCoy]

By the way, if he eats rice.

[Curtis Sliwa]

With his hands, whether he means it.

[Mikey McCoy]

Or not, he's either authentically gross or he's being a fake, disgusting person.

[Curtis Sliwa]

And in some of the comments of a TikTok video I made, people said.

[Zoran Mamdani]

But, Charlie, who are you to judge other cultures? No, no, no, that's the point. We in Western culture believe that our way of life is the best.

[Curtis Sliwa]

We're better than Muhammadism.

[Zoran Mamdani]

We don't do female genital mutilation.

[Jack Posobiec]

Well, I guess the trans people do.

[Zoran Mamdani]

But we don't do female genital mutilation. We in the west don't have child marriages.

[Jack Posobiec]

We don't believe in honor killings.

[Zoran Mamdani]

We don't believe in polygamy. We believe in American exceptionalism.

[Mikey McCoy]

We believe our culture is better. You see, in the modern world, happiness.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Is the goal, Feelings are the guide.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Judgment is the ultimate sin, and God.

[Curtis Sliwa]

Is the ultimate guess.

[Zoran Mamdani]

And let me say that again. Judgment is the ultimate sin.

[David Ushery]

You're not allowed to judge others.

[Jack Posobiec]

Guess what?

[Curtis Sliwa]

I'm going to judge you if you.

[Jack Posobiec]

Rice with your hands.

[Zoran Mamdani]

That's bad, that's wrong. Assimilation is a necessity, not a suggestion.

[Cliff Maloney]

So good.

[Andrew Colvin]

Man, the.

[Jack Posobiec]

The part where he, where he corrected himself on the fly, he's like, we don't do female genital mutilation. Well, except for the trans. It's like, oh, no.

[Cliff Maloney]

Well, listen, Charlie's. Charlie's line on authenticity. I really think, you know, Trump showed us that people do care about authenticity. I Think that's a big reason why Trump won in 24. But it's also a problem when the other side, the evil side, is beating us at the authenticity game. I think tonight's debate showed that. I think the most authentic person on that stage, based on no politics, no policies, but just watching them, hearing them, was Mamdani. It was the same thing with Obama. People thought he was authentic. We can disagree with their politics all day, so sometimes it helps us. And I think Charlie's right, though. What is the authenticity pushing towards? Is it pushing towards radicalism, where we want to have government as our God, or is it pushing towards free enterprise, free markets, the things America was founded on? But that's the. That's the thing with authenticity. It does go both ways.

[Mikey McCoy]

Yeah. I mean, it's just. It's Nietzsche's reevaluation of values. And it's just I. Charlie is the best. I love. I could listen to him every day, all day. And I do listen to him every day, all day. But it's just the whole, you know, that's offensive to other cultures. You can't. No, he's spot on. We don't do that here. You can go back to where you came from to go do that. But in America, we do not eat with our hands. We do not poop on the streets. Like, there's a line that you cross that we just. We have to lay the line. Truth is truth, and we need to have our standards, and you do not cross those standards. And I was talking to a big donor this last week, and he said, look, listen, when I give, I disagree with a lot of the people I give to, but nobody you're ever going to be aligned with, you're going to agree with 100%. As long as I agree with you 60% of the time, that's great. As long as the 40% isn't make communism great again, you can count on my support. And that's kind of the mentality that we need. Let's be real. Sliwa needs to kind of drop out of the race and endorse Cuomo, but I don't blame him. Like, why would you want to drop out of the race and endorse this candidate? That it's kind of a joke. Was a joke as governor and is going to be a joke as mayor. And it's, again, the Nietzsche's reevaluation of values. This is why Mamdani is so appealing to those people that are saying, that's offensive to other cultures, that's racist. That these are the people that are going to vote for Mamdani because he is changing the standards in a bad way. We are not going to move forward as a society. We're going to move back as a society, backwards as a society. Because he's changing the norms, he's changing what we stand for in America. Like eating with a fork.

[Jack Posobiec]

I mean, there's so much with that. It's just. Demographics is destiny. Right? And I remember J.D. vance had this clip. Don't time. Pull it up right now. But he was talking about how, you know, there's so much of the demographic that voted for Mandani. It's your. It's your, like, young urban creatives, your Gen Z, but then also so many recent migrants from, from South Asia. And whereas, like Cuomo in the primary that they held, he got a lot of blacks, he got a lot of Hispanics. And so it's sort of like that was the actual working class vote that went for Cuomo. And then instead it was these, you know, the, the artsy urban creative types. Scott Greer has this great line. He calls them the yuckies. Why? You see, like, as opposed to the yuppies, the young urban professionals, and that the yuppies weren't really going for Mamdani at all. It's. It's these, these yucky types, these artists. And again, just these, you know, the migrants. And so for Some reason after 9, 11, we decided to just open up our borders and we were going to get into a war with the Middle east, but then also invite the Middle east to come into our country. And then Barack Obama put that on absolute steroids and started just like mass importing whole populations, like the Somalians and others directly to the Midwest. And, you know, now we've got like thousands of Haitians in, you know, Springfield, Ohio and all the rest of it. And you look at a city like New York, how could it happen? How could it happen? Well, there you go. And people want to take about, you know, talk about, you know, the, the demographic replacement. And it's like, it's not a theory, it's just a description of something that's happening and we can all see it and, you know, write me up again about it. Write me up again. It's just the truth.

[Mikey McCoy]

It reminds me of Dr. James Orr's tweet, which was such a good tweet that when he was in town, I printed it out. I was like, doctor, or would you please sign this for me? Import the Arab world. Yeah, of course. I. Why wouldn't you look, I'll get you a copy next time I see him, Jack, because I know you're secretly jealous, but import the Arab world.

[Jack Posobiec]

Like we had dinner and I didn't realize that he was signing tweets.

[Mikey McCoy]

Yeah, yeah. Well, you could have asked, you know.

[Jack Posobiec]

Yeah, you should have.

[Mikey McCoy]

You should have. Now, now the only solution is for you to travel to Cambridge and get it signed. But his tweet was import the Arab world become the Arab world. And this is happening actively in America right now. Dr. Orr, the UK is probably 10, 15 years ahead, maybe less. Probably less than we are in the trajectory that we are headed, but it's definitely happening. And when Charlie and I were in Maine this couple months ago, we spent a day in Portland and we were talking to police officers and the police officer said there are so many Muslims coming here and Somalians that we will get police calls where we check in on a house. And it's a one bedroom, one bathroom house or apartment. And when we come in, there's 18 Somalians and they're beating up one woman or there's trash everywhere and there's feces on the ground. This is happening right now in America. And the mayor of South Portland, at the exact same time that this was happening, the police officer said she was a Muslim, that this is happening. While you are getting elected Muslim officials to office, there are Muslims and Arabs and the Somalians coming in and living in. 18 of them living in a one bedroom house, beating up women. They don't have the same values that we have as Americans. And that's why Mamdani is, he's kind of appealing to some of these immigrants because they see their third world mentality in him and they're hoping, well, maybe he can make this a little bit more like our home that we came from. And then when speaking our home mentality.

[Jack Posobiec]

Speaking of third world mentality, I wanted to play clip 336.

[Zoran Mamdani]

It's genocide. And I find the comments that Hasan made on 911 to be objectionable and reprehensible. And I also think that part of the reason why Democrats are in the situation that we are in, of being a permanent minority in this country.

[Jack Posobiec]

So that's, that's Hasan Piker on his livestream tonight, watching himself get disavowed by his, his, his little boy, Mamdani. So he's, he's disavowing him on, in, in the debate itself. And that's, that's him watching and he needs that little, that little pat on the back from that. I I don't even know what his little sidekick Jack. Can I, can I, Jack?

[Cliff Maloney]

Let me ask the question I asked earlier before the debate, but I want to ask it now to Tyler and Mikey. Do we think in any world it is a good thing for mom Donnie to win? And you guys know what I'm talking about. To have an actual poster child that is elected and to see the results of socialism. Earlier on the show we said no, we all agreed on that. But it's an honest discussion, right? It's an honest question. Does him winning and creating a actual, hey look, this is what socialism is. Is that a net negative, net benefit? What do you guys think?

[Mikey McCoy]

Yeah, I mean it could rally the troops, I guess, but I don't know. I'm really worried about that. If he wins, which he most likely will, I think that Republicans, this is going to be a wake up call for them when they see the trajectory that New York is headed in, what actually happens. But I would like to see how much he actually pulls through on some of his promises. Do we actually think that state run grocery stores will happen under Mamdani or is he just saying this to kind of get elected? I think it's a lot of talk versus what he will actually do. But I do think that yeah, if New York becomes the hellhole of America and a third world pocket of our country, then yeah, I definitely would be a wake up call to Republicans. But why do we need that? Why can't we just have action now? Why doesn't the donor class wake up and fight this immediately now? Why don't the Republicans fight this right now instead of waiting for this to fester into a pocket of a third world country in our biggest city in America to wait for action to take place. It's just a little confusing to me for.

[Jack Posobiec]

Well, so, so I do agree with, with you. Like obviously defeating communism is good. Letting America's greatest city fall to communism is bad. But Tyler, look, you've been putting together the turning point action 26 plan. Midterms obviously are right around the corner. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Virginia and New Jersey. Something 19 days away, 18 days away. Huge, huge elections going on. Working hard in New Jersey action event in, in North Jersey this Sunday. But Tyler, let's, you know, talking about the midterms, if Mamdani is the mayor, do you think that would have an effect on the midterms and the way it plays out?

[Tyler Boyer]

Yeah, for sure is. I mean and the, probably the best analogy is when your Favorite restaurant closes down. Nobody really is really happy about that for whatever reason. There's a lot of different reasons people close down restaurants. Sometimes they just runs their core. Sometimes the. The people who own it retire. Sometimes, you know, Covid and 2020 happens in BLM, it's harder go back. That restaurant is permanently damaged or closed. But what the natural. The natural impact that happens is that people go other other places. They go elsewhere. They stay, stand up, they eat elsewhere, they open up new restaurants and new places. And that's what we're going to see happen coming out of New York, whether we like it or not. I don't think anyone celebrates or enjoys the fact that their favorite restaurant's now closed, but they are going to have to go other places. The question is, is are Americans going to defend those other restaurants so the old one or the new one doesn't close like the old one did? And that's the real problem that we have in America right now, is that we have a lot of people have taken themselves, their community for granted. They haven't got involved and are active enough. They haven't defended the local public policy that has enabled cretins to come in and really dismantle the culture of America. And you have to keep, again, keep supporting and loving your local legislators, your local city council members, your local school board members, recruiting them, running yourself for those positions in order to protect your community. And unfortunately, the story of New York City is that that has all been handed away and that is why you are where you are at in New York City now. And that also means that people are going to go elsewhere. And New Jersey and Connecticut are going to see huge spikes in conservatism, both moderate and conservative Democrats and conservatives. The question is, again, are the Republicans going to take those people in, embrace them, and then convert them to be permanent members and fixtures of the party and say no more of this. We're going to have a new community here that protects culture instead of allow all the again, like I said, these cretins to come in and hijack your community. And that's to be seen. But I think people are going to look back at this and say, that was not a good thing that New York has gone the direction that it's gone. Whether it benefits the Republican Party or not, this is going to be very disruptive and dismantling to our culture. It's going to create friction that's not good and healthy for America. It's going to create more violence, it's going to create more animosity. Between Americans, people who think America is something different than culturally, what it actually is and has been. And that's a real problem for America.

[Jack Posobiec]

Well, and look, it gives for the midterms, I'll say for 26, you know, as we see New York do this, it will give people something to push against. Look, the very first thing that Mondami is going to do if and when he gets elected mayor and you know, we'll see, we'll see New York may, may go otherwise. But I think the very first thing he does, day one, is block any cooperation with ice. He will absolutely turn New York back into the sanctuary city that it was prior to Eric Adams, where people were, just remember this, they were flooding the streets, they were going through hotels, they were getting like taxpayer funded vouchers for sleeping in hotels all over the place. And you're going to see that happen again, again immediately. So there's going to be this huge. And by the way, that's why they talked about, we didn't mention this. They talked about Trump more than anything else during the entire debate. And why? Because they want, they know that, that if Trump gets, you know, Trump's still president, that they have this election they can turn into a referendum on Trump and then make it be this, you know, thorn in the side of Donald Trump. The mayor of New York, the mayor of Donald Trump city refuses to agree with him, refuses to endorse him, refuses to go along with ice, etc. Etc. You know, and they're going to deny the National Guard, they're going to have standoffs. It's going to be, I could see a scenario where a Mandami, you know, mayoral term, mayoral tenure turns a lot of New York into the new Portland can really see that.

[Tyler Boyer]

It's going to be worse, Jack. It's going to be worse than Portland. And you know why it's going to be worse than Portland? Is because you, you already have massive racial tensions and a, a scenario within New York that is far more, far more of a hotbed for crime and criminal activity. You have significant more people obviously, which always causes massive disruption. You have a historic New York Police department and fire department that has relied on the backs of multi generation, multi generational talent that has kept that city safe. And guess what? All those people are going to probably finally make the decision to leave. And this is really, again, I cannot bring this back enough is that a community is not a community built on just ideas and looks and, and, and just values. It's, it's a culture that is sewn together with heritage and again, multiple generations of people standing together to build something special. And New York has existed and worked for this many years because again, you've had a lot of people that have dedicated themselves to public service. And I just don't see. I cannot. We've heard it from people. I mean, we've seen it from people. They got an injection of that post 9 11, 911 caused people to turn their hearts back to the city. The difference between, you know, that, that happening nearly 25 years ago after next, this next year and to where we are today is people's hearts are turning away from the city. You have Covid where you have a candidate that's on stage who literally killed, had, you know, had people oversaw people dying within the city, that they were forced to die within the city because they wouldn't properly take care of them. They wouldn't institute policies that were both freedom loving and then also using just cooler, letting cooler heads prevail. And you now have a candidate who's going to become New York City's mayor, who is going to radicalize the city in such a way that there's not going to be very many people left that are going to keep that culture together. And so we're going to see just a complete departure and representation of what New York City looks like. It's going to change dramatically and drastically. And there's going to be a lot of heartache and sadness in the, in the tri State area for people to say, well, that's what New York City used to be. Or I remember how New York City was and now look at it today. And that's what the next 20 years is probably going to look like because Mamdani is just the beginning of this. This is not, this is not something that's going to get corrected very quickly because the Democratic socialists of America.

[Mikey McCoy]

Yeah, back to what Cliff said, just on what the reaction will be in the country. I feel like there should already be a massive reaction to this because following the 2024 presidential election, you would have thought that the left would move a little less radical on their policies since the huge 8020 issue of men and women's bathrooms and other radical stances that they've taken, lost them the presidency and the Senate, etc. And you would think that they would take less radical stances, but they're not. And you see Mamdani coming in with these crazy, crazy stances. But then on top of that, what's really scary about this, that I think Republicans need to spend more time Talking about is the fact that this is a municipal power, that he's threatening BDS against Israel, and that he would arrest the leader of a foreign nation if he stepped foot in New York City. Since when has a municipal power acted in this way? And if this is the way Mamdani is going and this is the way the left is going in the Democratic Party, what is going to continue, not just in New York, but across the country? With candidates running for office across the country and their stances, how are they going to abuse their power? And are they going to continue to move further and further left? I just think that not enough Republicans are really warning about the trajectory of this.

[Cliff Maloney]

Mikey, let me make a plug I never get to make. Just real quick, Jack. Yeah, this is why.

[Jack Posobiec]

Go for it. I want to wrap. Want to start rapping soon. It's now.

[Cliff Maloney]

This is why Angelo's let me know. This is why local elections matter. Okay, I've been trying to say this. Me and Tyler can debate this forever. Obviously, we got to do the big national races, but local elections, this mayoral race, obviously it's not that local. It's a New York City mayor race. But this is why Republicans need to adopt the strategy of the left, which is building a bench, building a minor leagues, and understand that we need America First Patriots across the country to run at the local level. School board, dog catcher. I don't care what it is countywide, especially state level. But if you want to really enact change, these local races are the way to do it. Because it takes less money, it takes less of a grassroots, but you're not dealing with the big money that you deal with when you run the federal races. Been dying to say this on Charlie show for probably two years, but local races matter. And I think tonight's debate shows you it has an outsized impact and it helps you to build the bench for the future.

[Jack Posobiec]

There you go, Cliff. Where can people follow you and get access to Citizens alliance on X at Maloney?

[Cliff Maloney]

We're running the PA Chase again this year. And of course we've got the New Jersey Chase. Just under three weeks left to try to elect Jack Cittarelli. Want to thank Turning Point and all the partner groups out there that help us make it possible.

[Jack Posobiec]

Amen, Mikey.

[Mikey McCoy]

Where can they follow you on X? It's michaelmikoi with two Y's and then on Instagram, Mikey McCoy crushing it on the gram.

[Jack Posobiec]

I've been seeing that stuff. Insane traction there and great content. I love the. I just love all the video polls you have man, it's like, like endless Charlie content and I love it. It's so all the behind the scenes stuff, videos that no one's ever seen. Yeah, it's so cool. Tyler Boyer.

[Tyler Boyer]

Yeah, you can follow us at Tyler Boyer and then of course with our team, TP Action. That's TPAction underscore on X. But we need your help. We can get involved right away. Go to tpaction.com, sign up, become a member of our coalitions. You can go to coalitions.com where we're recruiting in every swing state. We've got a lot of work to do this next year.

[Curtis Sliwa]

We do.

[Jack Posobiec]

But we've got a lot of work this weekend too, because I don't know about you guys, but I am so excited for the no Kings protest. I'm going to be out there, I'm going to be bringing my walker, maybe my wheelchair. Man, it's going to be. It's going to be so good. I really. By the way, that'd be a good like Alex Stein bit to just like dress up as, like, like. Remember when Johnny Knoxville used to dress in like old, like dress like an old man and then like you just walk. Go to the no Kings protest.

[Curtis Sliwa]

I should.

[Jack Posobiec]

My brother's into doing that this weekend or something. I'm going to be there. Of course. I am. Jack. So big. You can follow me at Jack Posobic. And the show is Human Events Daily. We are live every day. Thank you so much for tuning in with us. The Charlie Charlie always loved doing these debate watches and debate recaps. And so that's why we decided that we're going to continue the tradition and make sure that we do it tonight. And so, as always, go out there and commit more thought crime.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Thought crime is death is death is death.