Eighteen days after pledging to make amends for calling the NYPD “racist,” Democratic mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani still refuses to deliver a real apology — instead hiding behind rambling non-answers that sound more like activist word salad than leadership.
At a press conference in Inwood, Mamdani claimed, “The thing that I have appreciated the most in conversations around policing is the conversations I’ve had with rank-and-file officers.” He added that those discussions are where he shares his “reflections about where we are in this moment, where we’ve been, and also what it will mean to build together to deliver that publicity.”
Statements many saw as falling well short of a substantive apology.
Democratic insiders say the real reason Mamdani can’t utter the words is fear of offending his Democratic Socialists of America backers. “It’s super easy to apologize,” one operative said. “It’s super hard for him because of the DSA.” Another added, “If he can’t bring himself to apologize to the very people that are literally protecting him because of DSA lunatics, he should drop out like Eric Adams.”
Police unions, who backed Mayor Adams before his implosion, confirm they haven’t heard a word from Mamdani’s campaign. Meanwhile, he insists he is “planning to reach out to police unions” as Election Day looms.
