NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani defends past tweets, says Cuomo attacking ‘mythical version’ of him

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani pushed back on critics Sunday arguing they are attacking a mythical version of him by resurfacing old tweets Since winning the Democratic primary the New York State assemblyman and self-described democratic socialist has become a national figure He has faced pushback from both Republicans and Democrats over his past rhetoric and framework proposals with critics saying he is too extreme CBS New York chief political correspondent Marcia Kramer interviewed Mamdani about criticism of his population safety plan which would deploy mental wellness workers instead of NYPD officers in cases involving emotionally disturbed individuals Critics have argued the plan would amount to sending somebody with a clipboard They say that s not appropriate that person could be in danger What s your answer to that Kramer appealed MAMDANI'S PAST 'VISCERAL DISDAIN' FOR POLICE 'SCARES A LOT OF NEW YORKERS' FOR GOOD REASON NYC CRIME EXPERT My answer is that a great number of of my opponents chiefly Andrew Cuomo would prefer to debate a mythical version of myself rather than the person I in fact am Mamdani explained They would prefer to focus on tweets from instead of the platform of They do that because they know our ideas are popular and what we are putting forward responds to New Yorkers demands in tactics that go beyond the failed policies they ve heard from these old politicians What you re really saying is that those tweets of you ve evolved from that you ve changed from that you ve changed your views Kramer inquired Mamdani agreed saying those past statements are out of step with the campaign that we re running and with how he presently feels MAMDANI'S FAILURE TO WALK BACK THESE POSITIONS COULD CAUSE RECKONING IN DEMOCRATIC PARTY 'FIVE-ALARM WARNING'In Mamdani called to defund the police and labeled the NYPD racist anti-queer and a major threat to citizens safety Those remarks resurfaced nationally after a deadly mass shooting in midtown Manhattan that killed four people including an NYPD officer The candidate has also faced criticism for calling to remove a statue of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus