{"id":5926,"date":"2025-10-17T03:01:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T03:01:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/5926\/"},"modified":"2025-10-17T03:01:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T03:01:12","slug":"nyc-mayors-debate-mamdani-and-cuomo-get-personal-sliwa-hits-them-both-in-fierce-showdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/5926\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC MAYOR\u2019S DEBATE: Mamdani and Cuomo get personal, Sliwa hits them both in fierce showdown"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first mayoral general election debate of 2025<\/a> on Thursday night saw Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Andrew Cuomo trade ferocious blows, while Curtis Sliwa assailed them both in between complaints of being \u201cmarginalized\u201d on the debate stage.<\/p>\n

The three-way scrum over the course of two hours was defined by repeated entanglements between Mamdani, the Queens Assembly member and Democratic nominee, and Cuomo, the former governor who lost the Democratic primary and is now running as an independent.<\/p>\n

Sliwa, the Republican nominee, was literally caught between both and, at times, went after either or both candidates; he occasionally muscled his way into the conversation when moderators attempted to get Cuomo or Mamdani to rebut the other\u2019s accusations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Agreement was scarce throughout the hard-hitting affair, as to be expected with less than three weeks remaining before the Nov. 4 election. The three candidates hit each other over their experience on the job, dealing with President Trump<\/a>, stances on the Israel-Hamas war<\/a>, and many other issues.<\/p>\n

Often, the attacks between Mamdani and Cuomo turned personal.
\n\"NYCFormer Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Queens Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani shake hands after the Oct. 16 NYC mayor\u2019s race debate \u2014\u00a0a hard-hitting affair in which both traded personal attacks at one another.Angelina Katsanis\/Pool via REUTERS\n<\/p>\n

The former governor slammed Mamdani over his lack of executive experience, criticisms of Israel, and his stance on policing, all in an attempt to land a blow that could help Cuomo catch up to the Democratic nominee.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is no job for on-the-job training,\u201d Cuomo said, referring to Mamdani, who is 33 and has served in the Assembly for four years. \u201cAnd if you look at the failed mayors, they\u2019re ones that had no management experience. Don\u2019t do it again.\u201d<\/p>\n

In response, Mamdani touted his lived experience growing up in the city and made a pointed remark about the sexual harassment allegations that caused Cuomo to resign from office. Cuomo strongly denies those allegations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I don\u2019t have in experience, I make up for with integrity,\u201d Mamdani said.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what you don\u2019t have in integrity you could never make up for with experience,\u201d he added, addressing Cuomo.\n<\/p>\n

The former governor, meanwhile, accused Mamdani of never holding a \u201creal job\u201d before winning election to the New York State Assembly in 2020.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cHe literally has never had a job,\u201d Cuomo said. \u201cThis is not a job for a first-timer.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Cuomo\u2019s attacks come as he is running out of time to narrow Mamdani\u2019s lead, as the state lawmaker still holds a double-digit advantage over him. Even though Cuomo gained 10 percentage points in a Quinnipiac poll<\/a> following current Mayor Eric Adams\u2019 departure from the race, he is still behind Mamdani by 13 points.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani participate in a mayoral debate, in New York, Oct. 16, 2025.Angelina Katsanis\/Pool via REUTERS<\/p>\n

Sliwa, who also faced questions over his lack of experience, blasted both Mamdani and Cuomo over their time in office, describing the pair as the \u201carchitect and the apprentice\u201d of policies such as no-cash bail, which Sliwa blamed for a rise in crime across the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThank God I\u2019m not a professional politician,\u201d Sliwa said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Cuomo, Sliwa question Mamdani\u2019s Middle East statements
\n\"\"Independent candidate and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a mayoral debate, in New York, Oct. 16, 2025.Angelina Katsanis\/Pool via REUTERS<\/p>\n

Cuomo also went after Mamdani over his sharp criticism of the Israeli government and pro-Palestinian advocacy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He charged that Mamdani would not condemn Hamas, the militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, and took issue with the Assembly member for saying that Israel has the right to exist as a state with \u201cequal rights\u201d between Jewish Israelis and Palestinians, rather than as a Jewish state.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you notice, the assemblyman still won\u2019t say he believes that Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state,\u201d Cuomo said. \u201cHe is a divisive personality.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Mamdani responded, \u201cI\u2019ve said time and again that I recognize Israel\u2019s right to exist. I\u2019ve said that I will not recognize any state\u2019s right to exist with a system of hierarchy on the basis of race or religion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mamdani then turned the tables on Cuomo, claiming that it took Mamdani winning the Democratic primary for Cuomo to \u201cset foot in a mosque.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThey (Muslims) want equality, and they want respect. And it took me to get you to even see those Muslims as part of this city \u2014 and that, frankly, is something that is shameful,\u201d Mamdani said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sliwa, meanwhile, alleged that Jewish residents \u201cdo not trust\u201d Mamdani to keep them safe from antisemitic attacks.\n<\/p>\n

Mamdani responded that he would be a mayor who represents \u201cevery single person\u201d who calls New York City home and said he was \u201cso thankful\u201d to hear the concerns and opinions of Jewish voters during the election campaign.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dealing with Trump
\n\"\"Before the debate, Mamdani marched from Trump Tower to Rockefeller Center.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell<\/p>\n

All three candidates stated that they would resist Trump\u2019s attempts to deploy the National Guard into the city, with Cuomo declaring that he would make the president \u201cback down.\u201d That answer prompted a rebuttal from Sliwa, who chided the former Governor for losing the Democratic primary in June.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe president is going to back down to you? I know you think you\u2019re the toughest guy alive, but you lost your own primary,\u201d Sliwa said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Cuomo said he would get involved in \u201cugly\u201d battles with the president and pledged to fight Trump \u201cevery step of the way\u201d if he attacked New York City, referencing his prior tussles with Trump during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you come after New York, you know what I\u2019m going to do. You know it\u2019s going to be ugly,\u201d Cuomo said.\u00a0
\n\"\"Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo shakes hands with supporters outside Rockefeller Center on Oct. 16, 2025.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell\n<\/p>\n

Mamdani said he would seek to work with Trump to help lower the cost of living for New Yorkers, but otherwise strongly criticized him for overseeing the alleged political prosecution of his enemies as well as the \u201clargest deportation campaign in American history.\u201d He vowed to offer heavy resistance if the president attempted to carry out his immigration policies if he were elected mayor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he ever wants to come for New Yorkers in the way that he has been, he\u2019s going to have to get through me as the next mayor of the city,\u201d Mamdani said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Mamdani also accused Cuomo of asking Trump for help in the ongoing mayoral election, which the former governor strongly denied, stating that he last spoke to the President in July 2024 following a failed assassination attempt in Pennsylvania.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat distinguishes me from Andrew Cuomo is the fact that he has gotten on the phone with that same president\u2026 asking him how to win this race,\u201d Mamdani said. \u201cThat\u2019s something I can do myself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cuomo, meanwhile, warned that Trump would target New York City if Mamdani is elected.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the Assemblyman is elected mayor, Donald Trump will take over New York City, and it will be Mayor Trump,\u201d Cuomo said.\u00a0
\n\"\"Supporters of Curtis Sliwa outside Rockefeller Center on Oct. 16, 2025.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell\n<\/p>\n

Sliwa, on the other hand, said he would negotiate with the President, referencing the recent freezing of $18 billion of federal funding designated for the Second Avenue Subway and the Hudson River tunnel project. Sliwa said he would be willing to relinquish the Second Avenue Subway expansion in East Harlem in order to secure funding for the Hudson River tunnel project.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can be tough, but you can\u2019t be tough if it\u2019s going to cost people desperately needed federal funds,\u201d Sliwa said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

The debate was co-hosted by NBC News 4, Telemundo 47, and Politico. The second and final mayoral general election debate is on Wednesday night, Oct. 22, on NY1 News.\n<\/p>\n

Early voting begins in a little over a week on Saturday, Oct. 25, and runs through Sunday, Nov. 2. Election Day is on Nov. 4.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The first mayoral general election debate of 2025 on Thursday night saw Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Andrew Cuomo…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5927,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[5469,5470,80,314,154,2400,9,56,63,65,64],"class_list":["post-5926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-2025-general-election-debate","tag-am-newsletter","tag-andrew-cuomo","tag-assembly-member-zohran-mamdani","tag-curtis-sliwa","tag-mayor-eric-adams","tag-new-york","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-headlines","tag-nyc-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5926"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5926\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}