On the evening of October 15, 2025, Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, stepped into the Fox News studio for a high-stakes interview with Martha MacCallum on “The Story.” In a race already marked by sharp rhetoric and national attention, Mamdani’s appearance on conservative media was more than a routine campaign stop—it was an opportunity to speak directly to President Donald Trump, his critics, and the millions of New Yorkers watching from home.
For months, Mamdani has been at the center of a political tug-of-war. President Trump has repeatedly targeted him, vowing to cut federal funds to New York if the city elects what he calls a “communist” mayor, and even questioning Mamdani’s citizenship—a claim easily debunked, as Mamdani is a naturalized U.S. citizen (as reported by The New York Times Magazine). Fox News commentators have joined in, painting Mamdani as the face of a Democratic Party veering too far left, highlighting his proposals to raise taxes on corporations and the wealthy, and citing his past criticisms of law enforcement as evidence of radicalism.
But on Fox News, Mamdani took control of the narrative. He looked straight into the camera and addressed Trump personally, saying, “I just want to speak directly to the president, which is that I will not be a mayor like Mayor Adams who will call you to figure out how to stay out of jail. I won’t be a disgraced governor like Andrew Cuomo who will call you to ask how to win this election. I can do those things on my own. I will, however, be a mayor who is ready to speak at any time to lower the cost of living. That’s the way I am going to lead this city.”
This direct-to-camera moment was a calculated move. According to Deadline, Mamdani has made a point of reaching out to all types of media, but had, until now, avoided Fox News—the network most watched by Trump and his supporters. By appearing on the channel, Mamdani aimed to counter Wall Street opposition and skepticism from the business community, especially regarding his tax policies. He even floated the idea of a “mom-and-pop czar” to help small businesses navigate city bureaucracy and reiterated his plan for free bus service—proposals designed to appeal to everyday New Yorkers worried about affordability.
Throughout the 25-minute interview, MacCallum pressed Mamdani on a range of hot-button issues. When asked about a recent, brutal killing at a Brooklyn subway station involving a suspect with 33 prior arrests, MacCallum questioned Mamdani’s support for bail reform. She pointed out, “They lowered his bail so he could get out. Does that make you want to change your mind or think twice about reversing that?” Mamdani responded, “This is a horrific incident, and it’s the same video that I saw, and it’s one that horrifies New Yorkers across the five boroughs, and it’s completely unacceptable. And what it makes me think about is the necessity of providing public safety in our New York City subway system and across the five boroughs. And also, how do we end the revolving door? Because when you look further into the case of whether this individual or so many individuals, especially those suffering from mental health issues, what we find is so often the only mental health system that we have that’s functioning in the city is Rikers Island. Forty percent of the incarcerated population there. Why was he on the street? Because we have a broken system.”
MacCallum persisted, asking what would prevent repeat offenders from returning to the streets under his administration. Mamdani emphasized systemic reforms: “Because what we would do is actually address the systemic problems. That would ensure that someone who goes to the system this many times is actually his issues are addressed, the services are provided. Right now, all we have is going in and out, especially when it comes to mental health.”
The conversation soon turned to policing and Mamdani’s past comments during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, when he labeled the NYPD “racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety” on social media. MacCallum asked if he would apologize publicly, rather than just in private meetings. Mamdani obliged, stating, “I will apologize to police officers right here, because this is the apology that I have been sharing with many rank-and-file officers. And I apologize because of the fact that I’m looking to work with these officers, and I know that these officers, these men and women who serve in the NYPD, they put their lives on the line every single day.”
He elaborated on his evolution, saying, “Now what I know, having represented 100,000 people in Western Queens, is that to deliver that justice, you have to also deliver that safety. That means representing the men and women in the NYPD. It means representing the Black and brown New Yorkers who are victims of police brutality. It also means representing New Yorkers in my district who are surveilled on the basis of their faith.” (The New York Times Magazine)
Despite the tough questions, Mamdani sidestepped direct attacks on Trump. Instead, he focused on affordability and public safety, the twin pillars of his campaign. When asked about the Israel-Hamas conflict and whether Hamas should lay down its arms, Mamdani declined to take a firm stance, instead reiterating, “I don’t really have opinions about the future of Hamas and Israel, beyond the question of justice and safety and the fact that anything has to abide by international law. And that applies to Hamas, that applies to the Israeli military, applies to anyone you could ask me about.”
Mamdani also reaffirmed his controversial pledge to direct the NYPD to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits New York City, stating he would “exhaust every legal option” to do so—a promise that has drawn both praise and criticism from different quarters of the city’s diverse electorate.
Meanwhile, Mamdani’s opponents were not silent. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent, dismissed Mamdani’s claims of billionaire influence, with his spokesperson calling Mamdani “delusional” and touting Cuomo’s record on raising the minimum wage and expanding college access. Mamdani, for his part, jabbed at Cuomo’s ties to wealthy donors, quipping that he wished the debate stage “was more like NASCAR, so New Yorkers could see the billionaires that were sponsoring him right on his suit jacket.”
Fox News, for its part, continued to frame Mamdani as a left-wing radical, highlighting his lack of experience and the potential risks of his policy proposals for the city’s financial sector. Yet, Mamdani’s willingness to appear on the network and address its audience directly was a notable shift. As Deadline observed, it marked a departure from the closed-door meetings and community outreach that had characterized his campaign since the primary. It was a public test of his ability to win over skeptics and project a message of unity, even in hostile territory.
With the first general election debate looming and polls showing Mamdani leading Republican Curtis Sliwa and Cuomo, the Fox News interview served as both a preview and a proving ground. Mamdani’s strategy—direct, unapologetic, and focused on bread-and-butter issues—may well define the final weeks of the campaign, as New Yorkers prepare to choose their next mayor.
In a city often defined by its divisions, Mamdani’s Fox News appearance underscored the complexity of New York politics—and the enduring power of speaking directly to the people, no matter the venue.
