During Thursday night\u2019s debate, the candidates, Democrat Zohran Mamdani<\/a>, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa, were asked about the “threat hanging over the city” of National Guard troops being sent to New York City. All three candidates indicated they would oppose troops being sent to the city.<\/p>\n “If the president ordered troops to hit the streets of New York now, how would you respond?” a moderator asked.<\/p>\n “We do not need the National Guard here in New York City,” answered Mamdani.<\/p>\n ZOHRAN MAMDANI LAUNCHES ANTI-TRUMP TOUR ACROSS FIVE BOROUGHS IN NEW YORK CITY<\/a><\/p>\n From left, Mayoral candidates Independent candidate, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani participate in a mayoral debate, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in New York.\u00a0 (AP Photo\/Angelina Katsanis, Pool)<\/p>\n “If it was safety that President Trump was so concerned about, he would send them to the eight out of ten states that have the highest levels of crime in this country. But he won’t because they’re all run by Republicans,” he asserted.<\/p>\n “What New Yorkers need is a mayor who can stand up to Donald Trump and actually deliver on that safety,” he went on. “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.”<\/p>\n Cuomo, meanwhile, said that “the answer in the subways is not more National Guard” but rather “more NYPD is the answer.”<\/p>\n ZOHRAN MAMDANI LEVELS COUNTER PROPOSAL AFTER CUOMO CHALLENGES HIM TO DEBATES IN ALL 5 NYC BOROUGHS<\/a><\/p>\n Members of the District of Columbia National Guard standing next to an MATV vehicle scan the area as they patrol outside Union Station, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025, in Washington. \u00a0 (AP Photo\/Jose Luis Magana)<\/p>\n He asserted that Trump is “not sending in the National Guard to do any real function. It’s control. It’s power.”<\/p>\n “He’s trying to say these Democrats<\/a> don’t know how to run these cities and it’s a political gesture by sending in the National Guard,” he continued, adding that if Mamdani is elected, Trump “will take over New York. Forget the National Guard.”<\/p>\n Sliwa similarly said, “There\u2019s no need for the National Guard in New York,” and that “there are other cities that could desperately use their help in dealing with their crime crisis.”<\/p>\n![\"nyc](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/nyc-debate.png\")
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