Ex-NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio says there’s ‘a lot of exaggeration’ over Mamdani fears

Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio described Fox News Night Wednesday he believes fears over Zohran Mamdani s win in the Democratic primary are greatly exaggerated Mamdani a -year-old democratic socialist endorsed by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez claimed mastery in New York City s Democratic mayor primary Tuesday after former New York governor Andrew Cuomo conceded the race While the race s outcome will still need to be decided by a ranked count on July Mamdani s far-left protocol proposals have caused angst among more moderate Democrats CITY-RUN GROCERY STORES DEFUNDING POLICE SAFE INJECTION SITES WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT NYC'S NEXT PROSPECTIVE MAYORDe Blasio downplayed these fears arguing that numerous of Mamdani s proposals such as creating free bus networks expanding grocery stores and implementing rent control have been tried in other cities These are not staggering ideas If he wants to tax the wealthy he has to get the approval of the legislature They may or may not give it de Blasio noted arguing that the wealthy are poised to get generous tax cuts from President Donald Trump s Big Beautiful Bill which passed in the House last month DEM SOCIALIST'S NYC PRIMARY UPSET SIGNALS 'GENERATIONAL' SHIFT IN DEMOCRATIC PARTY STRATEGISTS SAY I just think there s a lot of exaggeration here And we re not going to see people leaving in droves de Blasio stated They noted it would happen when I became mayor It didn t happen I just don t buy it De Blasio who served as New York City Mayor between and argued that Mamdani s success was due to his focus on kitchen table issues something Democrats paid the price for forgetting in the balloting cycle Here s someone who certainly talked all day long about affordability talked about rent He talked about the basics of life food the whole thing that people are struggling to make ends meet de Blasio disclosed The former mayor predicted that police would not be defunded under a prospective Mamdani administration I think in the end he s going to laser focus on the kinds of things that everyday New Yorkers want across the ideological spectrum here across demographics because this place is incredibly expensive and working-class and middle class people are struggling to live here de Blasio reported