Kaitlan Collins: And joining me now is New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. And thank you so much, Mr. Mayor, for being here. It's your first interview with us since you've been sworn in. And there's a lot of headlines in your city today. But I do want to ask about the fact that the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was there in your city defending this ICE agent from Minneapolis in this shooting. She said that he followed his training. Is that what you saw in those videos?
Mayor Zohran Mamdani: If that is following his training, then I think there are larger questions about the training that's being provided to ICE agents. I think we can all see that video and come to our own conclusions that that ICE agent murdered a woman in Minneapolis. And it is a glimpse into what has been a year full of cruelty. And I think what many New Yorkers woke up with feeling today was a heightened sense of anxiety and fear as to whether they were safe and leaving their homes.
I know that's especially true for immigrant New Yorkers, of which there are more than three million, including myself. And it is clear to myself and to so many across this country, as I've shared with the president directly, that these ICE raids are cruel and inhumane and they do nothing to further the cause or the interest of public safety.
Collins: You called this a murder just now. You said that also yesterday. The mayor of Minneapolis hasn't yet said that. Why go that far before the investigation is completed?
Mayor Mamdani: That was the conclusion I came to just [by] watching that video. And I think that many Americans came to that same conclusion, no matter how many times this is mischaracterized by others. We will see right what is in front of us, which is that a 37-year-old woman was killed by an ICE agent and she leaves behind children.
She leaves behind her family. She leaves behind an entire community in the city that will mourn her. And this is something that was entirely preventable. And it is yet, however, unsurprising to see from an agency that is both reckless and also operates with a real sense of impunity across the country.
Collins: In the aftermath, Mayor Frey told ICE to “Get the F out of Minneapolis” in pretty blunt terms yesterday. Obviously, you've been on the job a little over a week now, but I mean, you could find yourself in a similar position to what he's in. And so if you are, how will you respond if the administration sends 2,000 federal agents into your city like they did in Minneapolis?
Mayor Mamdani: I will always say clearly and directly what's in the best interest of New Yorkers. And I've shared that with the president in the Oval Office, as well as with New Yorkers across the five boroughs, which is that I am the mayor for everyone who calls the city home. And as the mayor, we will follow the law of New York City.
And the laws here also include our sanctuary city policies, which forbid our Police Department to assist federal immigration enforcement at a civil level, which is what the previous administration had opened the door to and also forbids ICE agents from entering into city properties or the properties of city contractors unless they have a judicial warrant signed by a judge.
And that's why we've been informing New Yorkers of the rights that they have and also the protections that they have as New Yorkers.
Collins: Today, I mentioned you were with the governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, you’re partnering to work on making child care universal. And there's a new plan that you rolled out today. Basically, it would provide free child care for two year olds that would be offered in high need areas, as the two of you put it, in its first year of implementation. And by the fourth year, it would be available to all parents of two year olds who want it. Can you kind of lay out what your vision of how this works looks like?
Mayor Mamdani: You know, this is a victory for every working class New Yorker who's been forced to choose between the city that they call home and raising the family that they want to. And what we've seen today and Governor Hochul's commitment of sending $1.21 billion dollars of state money to New York City is that we are fulfilling one of the central campaign pledges we made of delivering universal child care.
And what this is going to look like is taking the $22,500 a year burden. That is the average cost of child care here in New York City off the backs of parents who want to send their three year old to child care or their two year old to child care. And it's part of a larger governing vision that looks at putting working people at the heart of our politics as opposed to the margins of that same politics.
Collins: And she's committing to two years of funding for this program. She says she plans to use existing state funds instead of raising new revenue for that. But at some point, will paying for this program, in your view, require raising taxes?
Mayor Mamdani: I think what we've seen is that when the commitment is to the outcome of delivering universal child care, there is no shortage of ways that we can actually get there. And I've appreciated the governor taking the unprecedented step, frankly, of funding this program, not just in its first year, but in its second year.
And what that gives us is the time to roll out a program that, as you said, will meet the needs of every single two year old across the city. And I think that is something that is going to be transformative for parents for whom after housing child care is the number one reason they leave the state.
Collins: So is the hope that after two years of that, that funding that she's committing to, that you can convince voters this is worth paying more in taxes for, that this is a program worth paying for?
Mayor Mamdani: I think what we've seen is that the governor is able to do this right now with existing tax revenue. I've always been clear about my own opinions and suggestions to that end. But what's most important, frankly, is that the governor's commitment, as she said, is a long term commitment.
And it's a commitment that showcases a new relationship, frankly, between City Hall here in New York City and the state legislature in Albany, because for far too long, the relationship between mayors and governors has been one that's more contentious than it is collaborative. And today is a sign that, in fact, you can work together and we must work together because we all serve the same set of constituents.
Collins: Well, and, as you know, I cover the White House, of course, [I] remember that day when you had the Oval Office meeting with the president. The administration just froze about three billion dollars, I believe, in child care funding and other services for New York and other Democratic states as well. They said it was over serious concerns about widespread fraud.
They said they believe your state and the others might be wrongfully providing services to illegal immigrants, as they put it. Do you worry that the lack of having that funding, since it's going to be put on hold, we don't know how long, could that complicate your plans that you rolled out today?
Mayor Mamdani: I think the plans that we rolled out today shows the further importance of a city and a state taking leadership in a moment when the federal government is taking a decision as cruel as the one that you've just described. And it's critically important for us to not only defend the support that we are providing working class New Yorkers today, but also advance an agenda that makes it easier for them to raise their families here across these five boroughs.
And I've also been heartened by the governor's characterization of these efforts from the federal government as one that New York State will be able to defeat in court through litigation, because it is critical that we do not allow for this politics to be played with the future of our kids. But we, in fact, make it easier for our kids to grow up in a city that is currently the most expensive in the United States of America.
Collins: That is kind of what–to tie this back to Minneapolis. They surged agents there. The administration is now intensifying investigations into fraud that, to be clear, were underway actually when Merrick Garland was the attorney general.
But with that, they've also said, we're going to look at California, we're going to look at New York State Republicans in your state [who] have asked for an audit of those state run child care assistance programs. Do you think that there should be an independent audit of that to make sure there is no fraud or how do you see that?
Mayor Mamdani: I see the importance of public goods being tied also to the delivery of excellent public services. And so for me, whether or not there are these kinds of actions being taken by the federal government, we will always hold ourselves to the highest standards of delivering child care, not just for those who can't afford child care in the private market.
But frankly, for each and every New Yorker across the city. And I am confident that the level of care we are going to provide is going to be one of excellence and also one that will allow New Yorkers to actually stay here.
Collins: What does it look like? Because as you well know, you were criticized on the campaign trail. People said your promises were too lofty, that they weren't achievable. You've been in office a little over a week. [You both] are rolling out this plan together in partnership. But what does it look like in terms of achieving your entire goal when it comes to universal child care for more than just two year olds in New York City?
Mayor Mamdani: Well, I think Nelson Mandela put it best where he said it always seems impossible until it's done. And we were told time and time again that it was naive, it was unrealistic. It was too much to dream of a New York City where we could extend the universal child care we provide not just to three year olds, but frankly, to two year olds and then beyond that.
And what we've shown on day eight of our administration is that we are able, in fact, to win a better city, a fairer city for each and every New Yorker, and that by the end of our first term, we will be delivering universal child care not just to every three year old, but also to every two year old.
And then by the end of the second term, fulfilling that for one year olds and children younger than that. And we're going to show that this is, in fact, not just the greatest city in the country, but also the easiest one where you can actually raise your family.
Collins: And obviously, you know, that ties back to the campaign promise of affordability. People have been watching what that looks like now that you're in office and also the staff that you've put in place around you. Your pick to be the director of the Mayor's Office to Protect Tenants has been facing some criticism, as you know, for a 2019 comment that she had made. She said that “Homeownership is a weapon of white supremacy” and that “Property should be treated as a collective good.” Are those sentiments that you agree with, mayor?
Mayor Mamdani: No, not at all. I hired our executive director for the Mayor's Office to Protect Tenants, not on the basis of her tweets, but on the basis of the work that she has done. And she has won incredible victories for tenants across not just New York City, but also New York State.
And I've been heartened to see the work that she's already done on the job here, where she's helping to coordinate Rental Ripoff hearings across each one of the five boroughs so that tenants have a place where they can actually come forward to showcase the many fees that they've been charged.
The lack of adequate facilities that they've been provided right here in New York City, where the housing crisis is foremost, top of mind for each and every New Yorker.
Collins: Okay, so you disagree with those comments that she made in 2019. You mentioned your relationship with President Trump. I have to ask you, because Nicolás Maduro is now in Brooklyn staying in a jail there as he's awaiting his trial. You posted after that capture happened that you had called the president actually to voice your displeasure about this. Can you just tell us what that phone call was like and what the president said back to you?
Mayor Mamdani: Yes, it was a phone call not too different from the other conversations that I've had with the president, be it in the Oval Office or in the call that we're discussing right now, where it was honest. It was forthright. In this case, it was also brief, and I made clear to the president that I oppose this action by the federal government, that unilaterally attacking a foreign country is an act of war and it's one that is done in violation of international law and also federal approval, and that I'm in opposition to a pursuit of regime change.
And I shared that with the president prior to sharing it with the public to make it clear directly. And as always, these conversations, they always come back to the concerns of New Yorkers here across the five boroughs. And when the federal government takes an action such as that, my responsibility is to ensure that it has as limited of an impact as it can on the lives of each and every New Yorker. And that's what my administration is committed to fulfill.
Collins: Mayor Zohran Mamdani, thank you for joining us on this big policy announcement for us today. Thank you so much.
Mayor Mamdani: Such a pleasure. Thank you for having me.
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