AOC-backed socialist mayoral candidate backtracks after calling to 'dismantle' police in 2020

Fox News

09-07-2025

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani propelled himself to a stunning upset victory in New York City's Democratic primary, as his record on policing has become a focal point of scrutiny.
Fraternal Order of Police National Vice President Joe Gamaldi told Fox News Digital that Mamdani's past rhetoric is emblematic of a dangerously radical ideology.
"Anyone who still supports defunding the police is completely insane," Gamaldi said. "Especially after seeing the horrific consequences on our urban communities. It brought on rampant crime and disorder, historic murder rates in over a dozen cities and destroyed the quality of life for millions."
Criticism of Mamdani's past statements on the Defund the Police movement has come from both Republicans and Democrats after his earlier comments resurfaced.
In 2020, amid nationwide Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd, Mamdani publicly referred to the New York Police Department as "wicked and corrupt," calling for its defunding and dismantlement.
In one Dec. 2020 viral tweet, he declared, "There is no negotiating with an institution this wicked & corrupt. Defund it. Dismantle it. End the cycle of violence."
He also linked LGBTQ+ liberation to police abolition, asserting in a Nov. 2020 tweet, that "queer liberation means defund the police."
Now, as Mamdani eyes the mayoralty, his public safety message appears to be shifting. He has backed away from some of his earlier rhetoric, acknowledging the importance of police in addressing violent crime.
"I will not defund the police. I will work with the police because I believe the police have a critical role to play in creating public safety," he said in the second New York City Democratic mayoral debate on June 13. "Sixty-five percent of crimes from the first quarter of this year are still not solved. We need to ensure that police can focus on those crimes, and [that] we have mental health professionals and social workers to address and tackle and resolve the mental health crisis and homelessness."
His current platform includes the creation of a Department of Community Safety to handle non-violent incidents that he believes would get to the root cause of crime. Mamdani's public safety plan includes reallocating $600 million from existing programs and raising taxes on wealthy New Yorkers to fund the new department.
He has also spoken about reducing police overtime and cutting the NYPD's $80 million communications budget.
Gamaldi said that Mamdani's comment on policing is little more than political posturing, saying that he embraces "this failed social experiment."
"I find it funny, because the very people Mamdani purports to care about — lower income, disenfranchised — are the very people who were impacted the most by defunding police departments," he said. "Truth is, he is a radical ideologue more concerned with pushing his far-left agenda than the safety of New Yorkers or the brave men and women of the NYPD."
With a cost-of-living-focused platform, a volunteer-powered campaign, and a savvy social media presence, Mamdani has rapidly vaulted into the frontrunner position in New York City's mayoral race.
Endorsed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and buoyed by grassroots enthusiasm, the 33-year-old assemblymember has captured the imagination of a younger, more progressive electorate.
If elected, Mamdani would become the city's youngest mayor in over a century, surpassing even John Purroy Mitchel, who briefly held the office in 1917 at the age of 37.