Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani sidestepped direct questions about when or how he plans to apologize to New York City police officers for past comments in which he labeled the NYPD “racist” and “anti-queer.”
During a rally with Teamsters Local 210 in the Bronx, Mamdani was pressed to explain his earlier pledge to make amends with officers. Instead of providing a clear timeline, he pointed to ongoing discussions with department members.
Mamdani emphasized that his focus was on direct dialogue with police rather than public statements, explaining that “at the core of this campaign has been those conversations, conversations with rank-and-file officers, conversations with officers in leadership.”
The remarks, which critics described as unclear and even a “word salad,” followed mounting pressure on the frontrunner to repair relations with the city’s more than 33,000 uniformed officers. Governor Kathy Hochul, who endorsed Mamdani last week, stressed that an apology to law enforcement would be appropriate. “I think it’s an appropriate response,” Hochul emphasized when asked if the candidate should formally address the issue.
Mamdani has faced scrutiny for social media posts from June 2020, at the height of the George Floyd protests, when he wrote that “we don’t need an investigation to know that the NYPD is racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety.” Last week, in an interview with The New York Times, he distanced himself from those remarks, explaining that they reflected the emotions of the moment and promising to apologize.
Despite that assurance, Mamdani has yet to outline how he intends to follow through. His lengthy response, lasting several minutes, did little to resolve questions about when the apology will come or what form it will take.
