Former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo told MSNBC on Saturday that in New York, “diversity is our strength, but it can also be a weakness,” even as he said he “unequivocally” condemned any Islamophobic comments directed at Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic front-runner and a Muslim.
His comment came after one of the hosts, Jacqueline Alemany, reminded Mr. Cuomo that when Mayor Eric Adams had endorsed him last week, “Mayor Adams stood next to you and warned about Islamic extremism if Mamdani wins and you stood there and you nodded along.” Mr. Cuomo, asked if he would denounce Islamophobic comments toward Mr. Mamdani, said he would, adding that he condemned all bigoted remarks.
Then he added that in New York, “Our diversity is our strength, but it can also be a weakness. So you have to work very, very hard to make sure you’re always keeping people united, and there’s always flare-ups among different races, religions, creeds for one reason or another.”
Another host, Eugene Daniels, asked Mr. Cuomo what he meant by diversity being a “weakness.”
“Diversity can be a weakness if you have antipathy among groups, Jonathan,” Mr. Cuomo said, mistaking Mr. Daniels for his co-host Jonathan Capehart, both of whom are Black.
“If you have racism or antisemitism, etc., so then you’d have friction, right?” Mr. Cuomo added. “Which we have had in New York. And so you have to work very hard to keep it as a positive and to make sure that it’s not a negative and you have zero tolerance for any racism, any antisemitism, etc.”
In the homestretch of the mayoral campaign, Mr. Cuomo and Mr. Mamdani have traded charges of divisiveness, and Mr. Mamdani’s supporters have accused Mr. Cuomo of amplifying or inserting Islamophobia into the race.
A few minutes before, Mr. Cuomo had been asked about a moment on the conservative radio host Sid Rosenberg’s show last week when Mr. Rosenberg said that Mr. Mamdani would cheer if there were another Sept. 11-like attack. Mr. Cuomo, responding to Mr. Rosenberg, chuckled and said, “That’s another problem.”
Ms. Alemany cited a moment during John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign against Barack Obama when a McCain supporter said she couldn’t trust Mr. Obama because he was an “Arab.” Mr. McCain defended Mr. Obama, calling him a “decent family man” and a “citizen.” Ms. Alemany asked Mr. Cuomo why he had not challenged Mr. Rosenberg.
“If a supporter of mine said that, I would have said exactly what John McCain said,” Mr. Cuomo replied. But Mr. Rosenberg “was not my supporter but a radio commentator,” he continued, adding: “I don’t think normally we hold elected officials and politicians to correct a comment from a journalist.”
Andy Newman writes about New Yorkers facing difficult situations, including homelessness, poverty and mental illness. He has been a journalist for more than three decades.
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