Socialist Zohran Mamdani's attempt to soften his anti-police rhetoric has ignited a firestorm of criticism in New York City following a deadly tragedy.
Fox News reported that Mamdani has been under fire from the public after a deadly Midtown Manhattan shooting claimed the life of an NYPD officer. His sudden pivot smells like political opportunism to many.
On Wednesday, a mass shooting in Midtown Manhattan left NYPD Officer Didarul Islam and others dead, marking the city’s deadliest shooting in decades.
Mamdani, who was in Uganda at the time, returned to hold a press conference at 32BJ SEIU headquarters. Critics argue his response was less about mourning and more about damage control.
Mamdani’s history of calling for defunding and dismantling the NYPD has long defined his public image. In 2020, he labeled the department “racist” and pushed to disband its Strategic Response Group. His social media quip, “nature is healing,” mocking a crying officer, didn’t help his case.
At the July 30 press conference, Mamdani tried to walk back his prior statements. He blamed his defund-the-police stance on “frustration” over George Floyd’s death. That explanation didn’t sit well with those who’ve tracked his career.
“Zohran ‘Nature Is Healing’ Mamdani’s Wednesday presser struck me as a cynical and transparent attempt at damage control,” said Rafael Mangual, a Manhattan Institute senior fellow. Mangual called out Mamdani’s refusal to fully retract his anti-police history. The half-hearted pivot felt like a slap to New Yorkers grieving a fallen officer.
Mamdani’s attempt to reframe his image included praising Officer Islam and meeting with the officer’s family.
He even attended Islam’s funeral on July 31 at the Parkchester Jame Masjid mosque. But these gestures rang hollow to critics who saw them as calculated moves.
New York City Republican Councilwoman Inna Vernikov wasn’t buying Mamdani’s newfound moderation. “He doesn’t respect voters because he thinks that we are too stupid to notice this blatant flip-flop,” she said. Vernikov argued that Mamdani’s years of bashing the NYPD can’t be erased with a single press conference.
Mamdani’s absence from New York during the shooting added fuel to the fire. “While a police officer and innocent New Yorkers were being murdered, Zohran Mamdani wasn’t even in the city — he was on a well-protected compound in Uganda,” said Republican State Assemblyman Jake Blumencranz. The optics of his absence undercut his claims of leadership.
Blumencranz didn’t mince words, calling Mamdani’s shift “political theater.” He pointed to Mamdani’s past statements, like calling the NYPD “wicked and corrupt” and pushing to dismantle its key units. To Blumencranz, this sudden pro-police stance reeks of opportunism, not growth.
Officer Islam’s funeral drew a range of political figures, including Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Mayor Eric Adams, both running as independents. Mamdani’s presence at the mosque was noted, but it didn’t silence his critics. Many saw it as a photo-op rather than genuine remorse.
Mamdani’s own words at the press conference didn’t help his case. “I am not running to defund the police,” he declared, distancing himself from his 2020 rhetoric. But the abrupt shift felt like a betrayal of his progressive base and a mockery to law-and-order voters.
“He seemed defensive when confronted about his past statements,” Mangual noted, highlighting Mamdani’s reluctance to fully apologize.
Even in tragedy, Mamdani doubled down on criticizing the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group, the unit that led the shooting response. It’s a move that left many scratching their heads.
Mamdani tried to spin his evolution as growth, saying he’s “a candidate who is not fixed in time, one that learns and one that leads.” That line might sound good on paper, but it’s tough to swallow for a city mourning its heroes. New Yorkers want leaders who don’t need a tragedy to see the NYPD’s value.
“He spent years bashing the NYPD and pushing a radical agenda, and only now is he racing to the center,” Vernikov said.
She argued that voters aren’t as gullible as Mamdani hopes. The city’s support for its police force runs deep, and flip-flops don’t erase years of divisive rhetoric.
