New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has been criticized for affiliating with Hasan Piker, a Twitch streamer who said in 2019, "America deserved 9/11." (Bing Guan/Reuters)
The Mamdani campaign responded in a statement, "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."
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The Mamdani campaign argued that Cuomo has "used Muslims as convenient punching bags for decades."
"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," the campaign added.
Piker himself echoed the Mamdani campaign's rebuttal during his livestream on Tuesday, Mediaite reported.
"These guys are incredibly desperate, and they’ll get even more racist as the election nears," Piker said, arguing that Cuomo is "leaning on Islamophobia."
New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani spoke to supporters at a canvass launch event in Prospect Park on Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (Deirdre Heavey/Fox News Digital)
"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."
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Cuomo's press conference was hosted just eight weeks before Election Day, as The New York Times/Siena College poll conducted from Sept. 2–6 and released Tuesday morning revealed that the former governor is trailing Mamdani by 22 points.
The Cuomo campaign also confirmed to Fox News Digital on Tuesday two new hires in the final sprint to Election Day — veteran Democratic campaign strategist Greg Goldner and Democratic pollster Cornell Belcher.
Deirdre Heavey is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/9-11-responders-wife-blasts-mamdanis-link-twitch-streamer-who-said-america-deserved-attacks