Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who is running in the 2026 New York gubernatorial race, blasted New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday, describing him as a “very, very dangerous individual."
Blakeman made the comment in an interview with Sid Rosenberg on WABC radio.
“Mamdani is a very, very dangerous individual. You have to give him credit, he is a very good orator, he knows how to deliver a speech, but it's the context, and subject of his speech that is really troubling," he said.
“This guy has anti-American values, talked about collectivism. You know what that means? That means that if you got a bigger house, than somebody else, and the government feels, that somebody else should have your house, they'll take it from you. That's what collectivism means, it means that if you're productive, and you work really hard, and you're making a lot of money, they should take that away, and give it to some lazy person, who has less," added Blakeman.
“It's really troubling, it's dangerous, and that's why I need to be elected governor, because I will stand up to him, I will be a check on him, I will not let him destroy the economy of New York City, and I will not let him destroy a great police department, the NYPD. The law will be enforced, in New York City, when I'm governor," he stated.
Asked whether he would act, as governor, to remove Mamdani from office, Blakeman replied, “I'm a strong believer in democracy, and for better or worse, he was elected mayor. I think it's very extreme to remove an elected official from office, the crimes have to be egregious. So what I would do is, I would make sure that as governor, he didn't do those things, that he didn't get away with those things, and in effect, if he's not enforcing the law in New York, I'll bring the state police down, and we'll enforce the law. I'm not going to let him get away with that, I'll take over the NYPD. Those are things that I can do as governor, so if he steps out of the line, and breaches his fiduciary responsibility as a mayor, to the people of the city of New York, I will keep him in check."
Blakeman was endorsed by President Donald Trump for New York Governor after Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who initially planned to challenge incumbent Kathy Hochul, announced she was ending her campaign.
Mamdani, who was already under fire during his mayoral campaign for his anti-Israel views, caused an uproar on his first day in office when he cancelled executive orders related to Israel, which were issued by his predecessor, Eric Adams.
The move means that among the orders to be cancelled was one signed by Adams in June of 2025 formally recognizing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.
Another executive order to be cancelled, signed by the now-former mayor last month, prohibited mayoral appointees and agency staff from boycotting and disinvesting from Israel.
Mamdani’s move was widely condemned both in Israel and the US.