New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani labeled Mayor Eric Adams "extreme" and "radical" on Sunday after Adams announced he was dropping out of the race.
Mamdani was asked during an interview on MSNBC's "The Weekend Primetime" to respond to Adams' parting message: "Extremism is growing in our politics. Our children are being radicalized to hate our city and our country. Major change is welcome and necessary, but beware of those who claim the answer to destroy the very system we built together over generations. That is not change. That is chaos."
"Well, I think that the only thing I truly find to be extreme is Eric Adams’s record. This is a man who’s raised the rent on more than 2 million New Yorkers by 12%, a man who slowed down already the slowest buses in the country, one who priced New Yorkers out of childcare that cost them about $25,000 a year. That’s what’s extreme. That’s what’s radical," Mamdani responded.
Mamdani insisted his vision for affordability was "common sense."
'NEW YORK DESERVES BETTER:' MAMDANI REACTS TO ERIC ADAMS EXIT FROM MAYORAL RACE
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has one less opponent after Mayor Eric Adams dropped out of the race. (Stephanie Keith/Getty Images; Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The democratic socialist candidate also argued that New Yorkers wanted to go in a new direction.
"What I actually think of more in Eric Adams' parting words are the ones that he gave us a few weeks ago, where he assembled a number of cameras and spoke to them directly, that Andrew Cuomo is a liar and a snake. And I think that New Yorkers are tired of that kind of politics. They’re tired of considering the architect of this affordability crisis and Andrew Cuomo as being the next mayor of the city. They want a new direction," Mamdani said.
Adams trailed both Mamdani and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo significantly in campaign fundraising and spending. Cuomo still remains in the race but trails Mamdani significantly in the polls.
Mamdani framed Adams' exit as a pivotal moment in a social media post, pledging that voters in November will "turn the page on the politics of big money and small ideas."
Andrew Cuomo, New York City mayoral candidate and former New York Governor, speaks during a press conference on August 4, 2025, in New York City. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)
"Donald Trump and his billionaire donors might be able to determine Eric Adams and Andrew Cuomo’s actions, but they will not dictate the results of this election," Mamdani wrote in a statement.
Mamdani was also asked during the MSNBC interview on Sunday if there would be any policy concessions he would be willing to make in order to gain ground with more moderate voters.
"The policies that I’m running on are the ones still from the primary, but I’m also willing to speak to everyone and anyone, because sometimes the concerns are based more on a caricature of me as opposed to who I actually am," he said. "There are people who have come up to me and said, how will we be able to pay for free rent? I said, no, you drop the z, it’s freeze the rent of 2 million rent-stabilized tenants."
Democratic nominee for mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks to reporters outside the Federal Jacob Javits Building in New York on Aug. 7, 2025. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
"People who ask me questions about is it possible to make buses fast and free? I say the cost would be about $600-$700 million, which is less than Andrew Cuomo gave to Elon Musk one year in tax breaks of $959 million. Showing people the context that we’re in and building a coalition where they may not see themselves in me, perhaps, but they may see themselves in the best and the brightest that I’ll hire to surround me in City Hall," he added.
Fox News' Amanda Macias contributed to this report.