Andrew Cuomo Claims 'Diversity Can Be A Weakness' [View all]

Source: Huff Post

Nov 2, 2025, 12:21 PM EST | Updated 5 hours ago


New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo said “diversity can be a weakness” when asked to condemn Islamophobic remarks about his opponent Zohran Mamdani. “As New York governor for 11 years and attorney general, our diversity is our strength,” Cuomo, who is running for mayor as an independent and trailing in the polls, said Saturday on MSNBC. “But it can also be a weakness, so you have to work very, very hard to make sure you’re always keeping people united, and there’s always flare-ups among different races, religions, creeds for one reason or another.”

MSNBC Eugene Daniels, who appeared shocked at Cuomo’s comment, asked Cuomo to “correct the record” if he didn’t mean to say that. Cuomo doubled down. “Diversity can be a weakness if you have antipathy among groups, Jonathan,” Cuomo said, getting Daniels’ name wrong. Cuomo continued: “If you have racism or antisemitism, etc. So then you’d have friction, right? Which we have had in New York, and so you have to work very hard to keep it as a positive and to make sure that it’s not a negative, and you have zero tolerance for any racism, any antisemitism, etc.”

In a comment to HuffPost, a representative for Cuomo said, “It’s what he says all the time, New York’s diversity is its greatest strength and if the forces of hate and division are allowed to take hold, it weakens us from within. Those trying to make this anything other than what it is are desperately trying to gaslight their way through this election.”

Cuomo’s answer came after he was asked about his appearance on a radio show a few weeks ago. On the radio show, Cuomo laughed along with conservative radio personality Sid Rosenberg after Rosenberg said Mamdani, who is Muslim, would cheer if another Sept. 11 happened. After Cuomo laughed, he said, “That’s another problem. But can you imagine that? If Mamdani was in the seat on 9/11, what would have happened to this city?”

Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/andrew-cuomo-diversity-weakness_n_69077b01e4b0060501ac8944?origin=home-whats-happening-unit