# Bill de Blasio Slams NY Times Coverage Of Mamdani Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhMqP2fRcdo Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/bhMqP2fRcdo Generated: 2025-07-21T21:06:17.976+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio strongly criticized the New York Times' coverage of Zaran Mamdani, calling their editorial attacking Mamdani "one of the low points in the entire history of the New York Times" for dismissing his progressive plans as impractical and comparing him negatively to de Blasio. De Blasio celebrated Andrew Cuomo's primary loss, condemned Democrats who endorsed Cuomo despite past scandals, and defended Mamdani against accusations of extremism and anti-Semitism, asserting Mamdani's policy goals are "absolutely appropriate and attainable." **Key Points:** - Bill de Blasio expressed immense happiness at Andrew Cuomo's loss in the Democratic mayoral primary, stating he "could not hold back" his large smile due to his strong feelings about Cuomo and the "nasty, negative, unfair campaign" Cuomo waged. - De Blasio criticized fellow Democrats, including Senator Gillibrand, for their "tremendous hypocrisy" in endorsing Andrew Cuomo despite previously calling for his resignation over allegations of sexual harassment and nursing home deaths. - De Blasio defended Zaran Mamdani against accusations of being an extremist or anti-Semite, stating, "This is not an extremist. This is a smart, responsible person who happens to have views that are different." - De Blasio affirmed that Mamdani's progressive policy goals, such as free buses, freezing rent, and free childcare, are "absolutely appropriate and attainable," drawing parallels to his own successful universal pre-K initiative. - De Blasio called The New York Times' editorial attacking Mamdani "one of the low points in the entire history of the New York Times," accusing them of dismissing Mamdani's plans as "idealistic dreamer with unattainable plans" and showing a "neoconservative bent." - De Blasio stated that while Governor Hochul opposes taxing the wealthy, Mamdani's ability to work with Albany to raise taxes is "perfectly viable" due to a Democratic state senate and Mamdani's relationships within the legislature. - De Blasio confirmed he is "done with electoral politics" but still wants to serve the public, suggesting a future in public service would likely be an "appointed future" within a Democratic administration in Washington. **Context:** The video features an interview with former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio discussing the recent New York City Democratic mayoral primary, where 33-year-old Zaran Mamdani unexpectedly won against former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Despite his loss, Cuomo kept his name on the ballot. De Blasio, who had a contentious relationship with Cuomo during his mayoralty, has been an outspoken critic of Cuomo and a vocal supporter of Mamdani's progressive agenda, leading to this discussion on the race, political dynamics, and media coverage. ## Detailed Analysis Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio expressed immense satisfaction with Zaran Mamdani's victory over Andrew Cuomo in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary, citing Cuomo's "nasty, negative, unfair campaign" and the "shocking statement about the quality of democracy" that a grassroots movement overcame Cuomo's significant financial advantage and attempts to villainize Mamdani. De Blasio condemned fellow Democrats, including Senator Gillibrand, for "airbrushing the history" and endorsing Cuomo despite his past scandals involving sexual harassment and nursing home deaths, calling their actions "tremendous hypocrisy." He staunchly defended Mamdani against accusations of being an extremist or anti-Semite, stating, "This is not an extremist. This is a smart, responsible person who happens to have views that are different." De Blasio praised Mamdani's focus on "kitchen table issues" and affirmed that Mamdani's progressive policy goals, such as free buses, freezing rent, and free childcare, are "absolutely appropriate and attainable," drawing parallels to his own successful universal pre-K initiative. He vehemently criticized The New York Times for its editorial attacking Mamdani, viewing it as a "neoconservative bent" and a profound "elitism and disconnect from the life of the city," especially given their past dismissal of de Blasio's own "impractical" ideas like universal pre-K. De Blasio also addressed the practicality of Mamdani working with Governor Hochul to raise taxes on the wealthy, noting that while Hochul opposes it, a progressive state legislature and strong grassroots support could make it viable, similar to how Cuomo was compelled to fund pre-K. He expressed concern over threats against Mamdani by former President Trump, calling it a "profoundly broken" aspect of democracy, but asserted that the city would not tolerate such actions. De Blasio concluded by stating his electoral days are over but he desires to continue public service, possibly in an appointed role within a future Democratic administration. ### Bill de Blasio's Stance on the Mayoral Primary - Expressed great happiness at Andrew Cuomo's primary loss - Celebrated Zaran Mamdani's grassroots victory as "life affirming about the power that people centered campaigns actually still win" - Has not officially endorsed Mamdani but has had "great conversations with him" and defends him. ### Critique of Andrew Cuomo and His Supporters - Called Andrew Cuomo "a vindictive person, a bully, and someone obsessed with revenge" - Condemned Democrats like Senator Gillibrand for "airbrushing the history" and endorsing Cuomo despite his alleged actions against 13 women and nursing home deaths - Stated Cuomo's camp believed the "Me Too movement's over" due to Trump, but New Yorkers cared about Cuomo's lack of contrition. ### Defense of Zaran Mamdani and His Policies - Defended Mamdani against being painted as an "extremist" or "unreasonable," stating, "This is not an extremist. This is a smart, responsible person who happens to have views that are different" - Asserted Mamdani is "not an anti-semite" and challenged critics to provide evidence for such serious charges - Confirmed Mamdani's policy goals like free buses, freezing rent, and free childcare are "absolutely appropriate and attainable," citing his own success with universal pre-K. ### Criticism of The New York Times - Called the New York Times' editorial attacking Mamdani "one of the low points in the entire history of the New York Times" - Accused the Times of a "neoconservative bent" and a "profound elitism and disconnect from the life of the city" - Noted the Times previously dismissed his own universal pre-K idea as impractical, similar to their current criticism of Mamdani. ### Challenges to Democracy and Political Future - Expressed concern over former President Trump's threats to arrest and deport Mamdani, calling it "profoundly broken" - Stated the city's people would not stand for such actions and would "literally and figuratively surround Zorhan and protect him" - Indicated his electoral days are over but he seeks to contribute to public service, possibly in an appointed role in a future Democratic administration.