Angelina Katsanis/AP
In the final stretch of New York’s mayoral race, Andrew Cuomo appeared to embrace the Islamophobic accusation that Zohran Mamdani—the socialist candidate who would be the city’s first Muslim mayor—would celebrate a hypothetical September 11-style terrorist attack.
“God forbid, another 9/11. Can you imagine Mamdani in the seat?” Cuomo said during an appearance on the conservative radio host Sid Rosenberg’s show on Thursday.
“I could. He’d be cheering,” Rosenberg replied, prompting Rosenberg’s own laughter.
The former governor chuckled at the remark, before adding, “That’s another problem.”
From a generous angle, one might be inclined to see the initial intention of Cuomo’s remarks as yet another attempt to brand his 34-year-old opponent as too inexperienced to lead the country’s largest city. But what quickly unfolded was the unmistakable suggestion that Mamdani, by virtue of being a Muslim man, was not a loyal American. That Mamdani’s identity as a Muslim meant that he naturally harbored a secret wish to see New York, and America, destroyed. For many, the remarks made explicit what had been percolating for months: the cynical racism animating Cuomo’s campaign, whether it be his repeated refusal to pronounce his opponent’s name correctly or an AI-generated ad that depicted “criminals for Zohran Mamdani.”
Asked to comment on Cuomo’s latest attack, a spokesperson for Cuomo’s campaign wrote: “He was referring to Mamdani’s close friend Hasan Piker, who said ‘America deserved 9/11,’ a statement 9/11 families called on Zohran Mamdani to denounce, but he refused for months.”
Cuomo did mention Piker during his interview with Rosenberg—but not until about 10 minutes after their Islamophobic exchange. Hours later, Eric Adams, who earlier on Thursday formally endorsed Cuomo in a bid to stop Mamdani, extended the overt Islamophobia.
“New York can’t be Europe, folks,” he told reporters. “I don’t know what’s wrong with people. You see what’s playing out in other countries because of Islamic extremism. Not Muslims. But those Islamist extremists that are burning churches in Nigeria, that are destroying communities in Germany.”
“That’s what I’m fighting for,” Adams said. “I’m fighting for the family of New York. That’s why I’m here to endorse Andrew Cuomo.”
Update, October 23: This post has been updated to include new comments from Eric Adams.
