Bill DeBlasio says Times of London Mamdani story 'false and fabricated'
Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said that a story in which he was reported to discuss New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani in The Times of London newspaper was "false and fabricated."
“I want to be 100% clear: The story in the Times of London is entirely false and fabricated. It was just brought to my attention and I’m appalled. I never spoke to that reporter and never said those things. Those quotes aren’t mine, don’t reflect my views,” de Blasio said in a post on the social platform X Tuesday.
The former New York City mayor’s post featured a link to a story from the Times of London that appeared to be taken down.
The New York Times reported that the Times of London put out an article that featured commentary supposedly from de Blasio criticizing policy proposals from Mamdani. de Blasio said Tuesday that the statements that were said to be by him had been made up, according to the Times, also claiming he had not talked with the Times of London.
“I’m astounded,” de Blasio said, per the Times. “It’s a complete fabrication.”
A few hours following publication, the Times of London got rid of the article “after discovering that our reporter had been misled by an individual falsely claiming to be the former New York mayor,” per a statement from the newspaper obtained by the Times.
In a later post on X, de Blasio urged that “@thetimes pull down this story immediately.”
“It is an absolute violation of journalistic ethics. The truth is I fully support @ZohranKMamdani and believe his vision is both necessary and achievable,” he added.
A spokesman for former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running for mayor as an independent, shared a New York Post story about the interview on X, the New York Times reported.
Cuomo campaign spokesperson Rich Azzopardi, in his post, said de Blasio had read Mamdani’s “fine print” and found out they were “just glitter and vibes.”
The Hill has reached out to the Times of London for comment.
De Blasio endorsed Mamdani to lead the country’s largest city in a September op-ed in the New York Daily News, saying that Mamdani is “relentlessly challenging the status quo of deepening unaffordability.” He praised the New York State Assembly member’s calls for “bold sweeping action,” including a rent freeze, universal child care for children up to 5 years old and free city buses.
“Yet, though many New Yorkers agree with him — many others are skeptical. Still others have lost faith in the city government’s ability to not only talk, but deliver. They want to know one fundamental truth: can it be done?” de Blasio said in his op-ed. “I can say definitely — and I know better than anyone — that the answer is yes.”