Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo held a press conference near Ground Zero on Tuesday, blasting Democrat mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani for associating with a radical activist who once declared that “America deserved 9/11.”
Standing just steps from the site of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Cuomo appeared with longtime FDNY EMT and 9/11 first responder Sal Turturici and his wife, Wendi, who also became an EMT after the attacks.
Sal Turturici is battling terminal cancer.
“I am calling on Zohran Mamdani to disavow Hasan Piker and his hateful words,” Wendi Tururici said.
“His association with Hasan Piker disqualifies him to serve in any role for New York City, let alone one as important as mayor.”
Cuomo’s campaign displayed posters of Mamdani with Piker, as well as an image of the streamer from his viral 2019 broadcast where he said, “America deserved 9/11.”
Mamdani’s campaign dismissed Cuomo’s attack as a cynical political stunt, accusing him of targeting Muslims.
“Andrew Cuomo knows exactly what he’s doing,” the campaign said in a statement.
“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.”
The statement accused Cuomo of using Muslims as “convenient punching bags for decades.”
It further alleged that Cuomo was “weaponizing grief and pain for his own ambition.”
Piker himself echoed Mamdani’s defense during a livestream.
He called Cuomo’s press event “desperate.”
The anti-American activist claims critics would “get even more racist as the election nears.”
Piker has faced repeated backlash since his 2019 remark that “America deserved 9/11.”
Although he later admitted the comment was “inappropriate,” Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) cited the incident last year in a letter to Twitch.
Torres urged the platform to stop promoting streamers who push anti-Semitism.
Despite the controversy, Mamdani appeared on Piker’s stream earlier this year and defended the move, telling Politico:
“I am willing to speak to each and every person about this campaign, and I’ve said that from the beginning.”
Cuomo, whose campaign for New York City mayor has struggled to gain traction, received the Turturici family’s endorsement on Tuesday.
“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.”
The press conference came just eight weeks before Election Day and hours after a New York Times/Siena College poll showed Cuomo trailing Mamdani by 22 points.
Cuomo’s campaign also announced two high-profile hires for the final stretch: Democrat strategist Greg Goldner and pollster Cornell Belcher.
Our comment section is restricted to members of the Slay News community only.
To join, create a free account HERE.
If you are already a member, log in HERE.