Just days ahead of the 24th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo held a press conference at Ground Zero, where speakers condemned leading mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani for his ties to Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who claimed that "America deserved 9/11."
Cuomo, on Tuesday, honored Sal Tururici, an emergency medical technician for the Fire Department of New York City (FDNY) who responded to the terrorist attacks and was later diagnosed with terminal cancer, according to Fox News.
"This is not just politics, this is personal," Cuomo said. "Sal’s story is a reminder of why this work matters. Those benefits saved lives and honored sacrifice. Leadership is about life and death, protecting New Yorkers, doing the hard work, and delivering when it matters most."
His wife, Wendi, who became an EMT following 9/11, slammed Mamdani over his relationship with Piker.
I am calling on Zohran Mamdani to disavow Hasan Piker and his hateful words. His association with Hasan Piker disqualifies him to serve in any role for New York City, let alone one as important as mayor.
New Yorkers:
— Shabbos Kestenbaum (@ShabbosK) September 10, 2025
Tomorrow is September 11th.
Here is Zohran Mamdani with Hasan "Americans deserved 9/11" Piker.
Tomorrow, don't allow Mamdani anywhere near the 9/11 Memorial, first responders, or pretend to care.
Unlike Mamdani, real New Yorkers stand with our FDNY and NYPD pic.twitter.com/1YGNF1Wlgy
Mamdani's campaign responded, arguing that "Andrew Cuomo knows exactly what he’s doing. He’s holding a press conference to suggest that Zohran Mamdani — who is poised to become New York’s first Muslim mayor — somehow supported 9/11. It’s vile, it’s dangerous, and it’s deliberate." It may be true, as Mamdani is no defender of American values.
They added that Cuomo has "used Muslims as convenient punching bags for decades," and that "New Yorkers can see this for what it is — a cynical attempt to recycle the ugliest playbook in our politics. Cuomo is not protecting the memory of 9/11 victims; he’s once again desecrating it by weaponizing grief and pain for his own ambition."
Hasan Piker himself responded during his livestream on Thursday, arguing that Cuomo is "incredibly desperate, and they’ll get even more racist as the election nears." He added that Cuomo is "leaning on Islamophobia" to try and prevent Mamdani's victory in the mayoral race.
Cuomo himself did not address any of Piker's comments. He is currently more than 20 points behind self-described democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani in the latest polling for NYC mayor. Yet, Cuomo has the best chance of preventing NYC, once the capital of America's free market, from becoming a communist hellhole.
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