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Top 5 moments from final New York City mayoral debate: ‘Knock him on his tuchas’
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Candidates came out swinging at New York City’s final mayoral debate Wednesday night, with all three candidates launching personal attacks and spotlighting each other’s hottest controversies.
With just weeks until the election, socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani is highly favored to win. Despite this, the debate on Wednesday was every man for himself, with each candidate lobbing attacks and insults at one another.
Here are the top five moments from Wednesday night’s debate.
1. ‘Knock him on his tuchas’
Independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, who led the state as a Democratic governor from 2011 until he resigned amid controversy in 2021, took aim at Mamdani’s lack of leadership experience, predicting that President Donald Trump would make short work of him if he were elected mayor.
«[Trump] has said he’ll take over New York if he wins, and he will, because he has no respect for him. He thinks he’s a kid and he’s going to knock him on his tuchas,» said Cuomo.
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Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa participate in the second New York City mayoral debate at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens, New York City, on Oct. 22, 2025. (Hiroko Masuike/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Mamdani immediately shot back by calling Cuomo «Donald Trump’s puppet himself.»
«You could turn on the TV any day of the week, and you will hear Donald Trump share that his pick for Mayor is Andrew Cuomo, and he wants Andrew Cuomo to be the mayor, not because it will be good for New Yorkers, but because it will be good for him,» said Mamdani.
2. ‘You fled!’
Though far and away the dark horse candidate in the race, Republican Curtis Sliwa landed some of the hardest punches of the night. Early on in the debate, he fired at Cuomo’s controversial exit from office, saying, «Andrew, you didn’t leave. You fled from being impeached by the Democrats in the state legislature. You fled!»
Cuomo, meanwhile, reserved most of his ire for Mamdani. At another point in the debate, he addressed the 34-year-old socialist New York assembly member, saying, «You don’t know how to run a government, you don’t know how to handle an emergency, and you’ve literally never proposed the bill on anything that you’re not talking about in your campaign.»
«You had the worst attendance record in the assembly, and you gave yourself the highest raise in the United States of America,» he said, exclaiming, «Shame on you! Shame on you!»
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Independent candidate and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo participates in the second New York City mayoral debate with Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens, New York, on October 22, 2025. (HIROKO MASUIKE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
In response, a grinning Mamdani said, «It is always a pleasure to hear Andrew Cuomo create his own facts at every debate stage.»
«We just had a former governor say in his own words that the city has been getting screwed by the state. Who was leading the state? It was you!» said Mamdani. «You were leading the state for ten years, screwing the city!»
Cuomo immediately denied this accusation, blaming the current Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and saying, «That’s the past four years.»
3. The meme moment
Chaos erupted on the debate stage after Mamdani attempted to skirt around a question on whether he supports a set of housing ballot initiatives, with Cuomo, Sliwa and the moderators immediately pressing him to answer.
«What is your opinion, Zohran? Come on!» Sliwa shouted as Cuomo droned, «Yes or no?!»
Cuomo rocked back and forth with his hands, mocking Mamdani, saying, «It’s a TikTok dance,» producing the most meme-worthy moment of the night.
Andrew Cuomo taunts Zohran Mamdani with a dance during the last New York City mayoral debate on Oct. 22, 2025. (Spectrum News NY1)
«They’re pointing out what I was about to say. Would you please answer the question?» a moderator asked.
Mamdani continued to deflect, saying, «I think on this stage you can see two people appealing for the Republican Party votes and myself speaking directly to New York City.»
«Answer the question for once,» Cuomo continued prodding as Sliwa waved his arms and smacked his forehead with his palm.
«My question to you was, do you support the three ballot amendment questions?» the moderator pressed.
Mamdani finally answered, «I have not yet taken a position on those ballot initiatives,» as both Cuomo and Sliwa moaned in protest.
«What a shocker!» Cuomo teased. «Don’t worry, once he takes it, he’ll change it anyway.»
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Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani participates in the second New York City mayoral debate with Independent candidate and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens, New York, on October 22, 2025. (HIROKO MASUIKE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
4. Support for global jihad?
Moderators and candidates alike pressed Mamdani on his controversial positions on Israel and rising fears amongst New York’s Jewish community.
Citing two sons who he said were raised Jewish, Sliwa said, «This issue is personal for me.»
«Let me speak on behalf of my two sons when they’ve heard some of the statements you’ve made, like in support of global jihad, and I hear some people out there saying, ‘the Jews that time is due,’ which means the same thing. They’re frightened; they’re scared. They view you as the arsonist who fanned the flames of antisemitism,» said Sliwa.
«You’ve got a lot of explaining to do, a lot of apologizing to do,» Sliwa went on. «My sons are afraid. Their family, their friends, many in the Jewish community are concerned if you become mayor, because they don’t think when antisemitism rears its ugly head, which it’s now doing more than ever before, that you will have the ability to come in and put out those flames of hate.»
Mamdani shot back, «I think there is room for disagreement on many positions and many policies, but I also want to correct the record: I have never, not once, spoken in support of global jihad.»
«That is not something that I have said, and that continues to be ascribed to me. And frankly, I think much of it has to do with the fact that I am the first Muslim candidate to be on the precipice of winning this election,» Mamdani went on, adding, «All the same, Curtis, I do still want to be the mayor that will keep your sons safe, that will keep every single New Yorker safe.»
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Thousands of demonstrators hold a pro-Palestinian rally and march in protest of Israel on October 13, 2023, in Times Square, New York City, New York. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
5. A stage full of scandal
Sparks flew when Cuomo and Mamdani were given free rein to question each other and, unsurprisingly, chose to press each other on their most controversial scandals.
Cuomo knocked Mamdani, who is an immigrant to the U.S. from Uganda, for being a «toxic» force in New York City, and pressed him for not advocating for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Uganda for its laws against homosexuality.
«You take a picture with Rebecca Kadaga, deputy prime minister of Uganda … She’s known as Rebecca ‘gay-killer’ Kadaga,» said Cuomo, asking, «How do you not renounce your citizenship, or demand BDS against Uganda for imprisoning people who are gay just by their sexual orientation, is that not a basic violation against human rights?»
Mamdani answered that «had I known that the first deputy minister was the architect of that legislation, I would not have taken that photo.»
In turn, Mamdani grilled Cuomo on 13 sexual harassment allegations filed against him while he was governor. Cuomo brushed this aside, saying, «The cases were dropped» and pressing further, «You have no problem with BDS against Israel, but no BDS against Uganda.»
Andrew Cuomo, New York City mayoral candidate, from left, Zohran Mamdani, New York City mayoral candidate, and Curtis Sliwa, New York City mayoral candidate, during a mayoral debate in New York, US, on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. Millions of dollars are pouring into the mayoral election with less than two weeks to go until New Yorkers go to the polls. (Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
At another point in the debate, Mamdani attempted to turn the question of experience on Cuomo, saying, «The issue is that we have all experienced your experience.»
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«The issue is that we experienced you taking a $5 million book deal while you sent seniors to their deaths in nursing homes. The issue is that we experienced you cutting funding for the MTA to send money to upstate ski resorts. The issue is that we saw you give $959 million in tax breaks to Elon Musk. The issue is your experience,» said Mamdani.
«The issue is you have no experience,» insisted Cuomo, adding, «You’ve accomplished nothing.»
new york city,2025 2026 elections coverage,zohran mamdani,andrew cuomo,curtis sliwa,anti semitism,socialism
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INTERNACIONAL
US troops brace for ‘hit-and-run’ guerilla attacks as 82nd Airborne deploys to Iran, military analyst warns
US deploying 1,500 troops from 82nd Airborne
Chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin reports the latest on the conflict with Iran as about 1,500 additional troops and key staff are deployed to the Middle East.
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Iran could significantly increase U.S. casualties if its elite military and proxy forces shift to guerrilla-style hit-and-run attacks in the region, a leading military analyst has warned.
Michael Eisenstadt of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy spoke as the Pentagon moved elements of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division into the Middle East amid a new escalation in the conflict, according to reports.
«Iran has large infantry units in its military that are equivalent to the brigade combat team of the 82nd Airborne,» Eisenstadt, a former U.S. Army Reserve officer, told Fox News Digital.
«The 82nd Force is too small to cause significant harm to Iran, but it is large enough to be vulnerable to Iranian strikes, and this would enable Iran to significantly increase U.S. casualties,» he said.
HEGSETH WARNS ‘MORE CASUALTIES’ EXPECTED IN OPERATION EPIC FURY AGAINST IRAN
The 82nd Airborne Division deployment to the Middle East is intended to pressure Iran into accepting U.S. ceasefire terms, military analyst Michael Eisenstadt says. (Sarah Blake Morgan/AP Photo)
Eisenstadt, who has worked as a U.S. government military analyst, claimed that, even if major conventional operations begin to wind down in the Middle East region, the danger may only evolve rather than disappear.
«We could see an end to major combat operations, with activity shifting to guerrilla-style hit-and-run attacks in the Gulf and other gray-zone activities by Iran,» he said.
«Think of the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War with Iraq, in which we had to contain the Iraqis for a decade after a very successful war.»
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Naval units from Iran and Russia simulate the rescue of a hijacked vessel during joint drills, Feb. 19, at the Port of Bandar Abbas in Hormozgan, Iran. (Iranian Army/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin reported Wednesday that the U.S. has ordered the deployment of an additional 82nd Airborne forces to the region.
The contingent is expected to include Maj. Gen. Brandon R. Tegtmeier, the division commander, elements of his headquarters staff, and infantry battalions from the division’s Immediate Response Force.
Officials also indicated that the total number of troops ultimately sent could still change.
Eisenstadt said this new deployment is intended to increase pressure on Tehran as the U.S. pushes for new ceasefire terms, set in place by President Donald Trump.
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President Donald Trump speaks with the media before boarding Air Force One, Monday, at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo)
«This deployment is intended to create leverage over Iran and pressure it to accept U.S. terms for a ceasefire agreement. It would also create military options if Iran rejects those terms,» he said.
In that scenario, he said, the 82nd could potentially operate alongside Marine expeditionary units in operations to seize and hold terrain, including Kharg Island, located roughly 20 miles off Iran’s Gulf coast.
U.S. forces struck military targets there March 13, destroying more than 90 Iranian military sites while deliberately sparing key oil infrastructure, according to multiple reports.
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Satellite view of Kharg Island, located in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Iran. (Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2024)
«The brigade combat team of the 82nd could work with the 11th and 31st MEUs, or independently, to seize and hold terrain — such as Kharg Island,» Eisenstadt said.
«This would provide leverage over Iran by denying it the ability to export oil and helping end the war on terms favorable to the U.S.»
«There are risks involved though, because Iranian units on the mainland could bombard Kharg Island and inflict casualties on U.S. troops there also,» Eisenstadt said.
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President Donald Trump warned on Saturday that the U.S. could strike Iranian power plants if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened. (Aaron Schwartz/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2025 via Getty Images)
The latest military buildup comes as the conflict that began with Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28, has also centered on the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran restricting access.
«The 82nd deployment is intended to increase psychological pressure on Iran and support efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz so it can once again be used by all countries,» Eisenstadt explained.
The 82nd Airborne is one of the U.S. military’s premier rapid-response units, trained to parachute into hostile or contested territory to secure key ground and airfields.
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Portions of the division have also spent recent days at the Joint Readiness Training Center, sharpening infiltration, surveillance, combat and resupply skills, Axios reported.
«Iranian military officials have welcomed news of the dispatch of these units to the Gulf because it potentially creates options for them to impose costs on the U.S.,» Eisenstadt said.
war with iran, wars, iran, us marines, military, pentagon, world
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Voters are split on what role the United States should play in the world, while attitudes on the military action in Iran reflect sharp partisanship, according to a new Fox News national survey.
Forty-two percent support the current U.S. military action against Iran, and 58% oppose it, including nearly 4 in 10 who are strongly opposed.
The partisan divide is stark: 77% of Republicans support the effort compared to 12% of Democrats and 28% of independents. Within the GOP, support ranges from 90% among MAGA supporters to 52% of non-MAGA Republicans.
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The gender divide is less pronounced, with support at 38% among women and 45% among men.
Support is tempered by doubts about the long-term outcome, as more voters believe it will make the United States less safe rather than safer (44% vs. 33%). Another quarter think it won’t make much difference.
On the broader question of what U.S. foreign policy should be, half (50%) say the U.S. should be more engaged and take the lead in world events, while 48% prefer a less engaged, more reactive approach. Republicans favor engagement (72%), while Democrats prefer a less-engaged posture (64%). MAGA supporters are the most pro-engagement (80%), followed by voters who have served in the U.S. military (70%).
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Voters largely agree that the most important U.S. objectives in Iran should be reducing its ability to support terrorism in the region (70%), ending Iran’s nuclear weapons program (69%), and protecting the flow of oil from the region (66%). A slim majority says the same about bringing about regime change (53%).
Some 64% of voters disapprove of how President Trump is handling Iran, up from 57% disapproval in January. On foreign policy, 62% disapprove, up from 60% last month.
Trump’s overall job rating stands at 41% approve and 59% disapprove. For comparison, former President Barack Obama’s job rating at this same point in his second term was 40% approve vs. 53% disapprove (March 2014).
The president’s 59% disapproval rating is the highest for either term. Nearly half, 47%, strongly disapprove. Last month, his rating was 43% approve vs. 57% disapprove. A year ago, his marks were underwater by only 2 points: 49% vs. 51%.
Approval of Trump among Republicans has slipped to a second-term low of 84%, down from 92% last March. At the same time, an all-time high 16% of Republicans disapprove. This shift can be attributed, at least in part, to declining support among non-MAGA Republicans, as approval dropped 11 points in the last year among this group (70% in March 2025 to 59% today). Virtually all MAGA Republicans continue to approve of Trump, with 98% approving a year ago and 97% now.
Among Democrats, 95% disapprove — marking the fourth time this term disapproval of Trump reached a record high. Among independents, 25% approve, 75% disapprove.
Evaluations of the U.S. military’s performance in the Iranian conflict are more positive than negative: 58% rate it as excellent or good, but a substantial 41% say only fair or poor.
When asked how things are going in Iran, 47% of voters say the effort is going well, while a larger 52% disagrees. Only one in five say things are going «very» well (19%).
Most Democrats say things are going badly in Iran (79%) and rate the military negatively (63% only fair or poor), while most Republicans say things are going well (81%) and rate U.S. forces positively (86% excellent or good).
«Historically, foreign policy attitudes have been notoriously context dependent,» says Republican Daron Shaw, who conducts Fox News polls with Democrat Chris Anderson. «Today, it seems many partisans rate the Iranian conflict based on their broader perceptions of Trump. Facts on the ground are interpreted to conform to partisan predispositions.»
As the conflict enters its fourth week, few expect the swift conclusion Trump predicted. Only 13% believe it will be over in a matter of weeks, while 37% expect it to last months, and 15% anticipate a full year. Some 35% think the end is more than a year away.
Republicans are more likely to expect a quick resolution, while Democrats think it will be a long haul.
On specific goals of the operation, half or more voters gave the U.S. positive marks for disrupting Iran’s leadership structure (55% excellent/good), reducing its ability to develop nuclear weapons (53%), and limiting U.S. troop casualties (50%). At the same time, majorities are more negative on setting clear goals for the operation (54% only fair/poor), limiting civilian casualties (55%), and gaining support from key countries (61%).
Veterans are more supportive than voters overall. They back the current action in Iran (61%), say it is going well (67%), and more of them think it will make the country safer (45%) than less safe (31%). Veterans are also more likely to approve of the president’s job performance overall (55%) and on Iran (53%).
Poll-pourri
How do voters view the White House’s current approach to world affairs? By a 20-point margin, more say it is focused on issues outside of U.S. security than on U.S. national security.
Concern about Iran obtaining nuclear weapons stands at 66%, back to where it was in April 2025, after rising to 78% following the U.S. strikes on Iran in June 2025.
For comparison, more voters are worried about attacks in the U.S. by non-Islamic (70%) and Islamic terrorists (73%). Even larger numbers are concerned about political divisions within the country (80%), gas prices (80%), and healthcare (81%). And of course, inflation remains the biggest worry, with 86% expressing concern about high prices.
CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINE
Conducted March 20-23, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,001 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (104) and cellphones (641) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (256). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data.
Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.
politics, fox news poll, republicans, democratic party, war with iran, iran, defense, national security, donald trump
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