New York City socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani attempted to revise his controversial position on defunding the police in the aftermath of a fatal Midtown Manhattan shooting that left an NYPD officer dead. The incident sparked sharp criticism from prominent officials and experts, who accused Mamdani of attempting to distance himself from his long-standing anti-police rhetoric through what they called ‘lip service.’ Critics argued that his recent comments were politically motivated rather than representing a genuine shift in his stance toward law enforcement.
Mamdani, who has long been a vocal critic of the NYPD, previously called for the defunding of the department and labeled it ‘racist.’ His recent attempt to backtrack on these statements came as he tried to justify his past remarks as being rooted in ‘frustration’ over the killing of George Floyd. However, many in the community remained unconvinced that his reversal was sincere, with some suggesting that his remarks were a strategic move to align himself with public sentiment as the city grappled with the aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting in decades.
Rafael Mangual, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, criticized Mamdani’s attempt at damage control, stating that his explanations for past statements were insufficient and that he failed to explicitly retract or apologize for his long history of anti-police rhetoric. Mangual pointed out that Mamdani’s behavior during the press conference was defensive and that he continued to imply criticism of the very unit that had led the response to the shooting. His comments, Mangual argued, did little to change the perception of Mamdani as an anti-cop decarcerationist.
Critics such as New York City Republican Councilwoman Inna Vernikov and State Assemblyman Jake Blumencranz accused Mamdani of being insincere, suggesting his recent shift was a result of a change in strategy as he recognized public support for law enforcement. Blumencranz, in particular, criticized Mamdani’s long history of demonizing the NYPD, accusing him of having built a campaign around anti-police rhetoric and suggesting that his recent actions were a form of political theater rather than a sincere change in policy.
In response, Mamdani attended the funeral of Officer Didarul Islam, who was killed in the shooting, and spoke glowingly of the officer at the press conference. He also met with the officer’s family and addressed questions about his previous calls to defund the police, claiming that he was ‘not running to defund the police’ but had instead grown and evolved in his thinking. However, many remain unconvinced, with the incident serving as a reminder of the tension surrounding police reform and the political stakes in New York City’s mayoral race.