Cuomo faces backlash after campaign releases, then deletes, AI-generated ‘Criminals for Zohran Mamdani’ ad on social media

Independent mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo received sharp criticism after his campaign inadvertently launched an AI-generated “Criminals for Zohran Mamdani” ad on social media during Wednesday night’s mayoral debate, which was labeled as “racist” and “Islamophobic.”

The two-minute ad, aired around 20 minutes after the start of the Oct. 22 debate, was quickly deleted by the Cuomo campaign — but drew widespread condemnation from social media users and has been reshared countless times.

The video begins with an AI-generated Mamdani walking through the streets of New York and eating rice with his bare hands. It goes on to show a number of criminals announcing their support for Mamdani, including a Black man wearing a keffiyeh committing shoplifting and an AI-generated pimp.

The ad, which appeared to be an attempt to portray Mamdani as soft on crime, featured a wide range of criminal figures welcoming a Mamdani mayoral administration because it would decriminalize several misdemeanor offenses.

In addition to the shoplifter and the pimp, the video features a domestic abuser, a drunk driver and a drug dealer who endorsed the Mamdani campaign.

Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi stated that the video was unfinished and had been uploaded by mistake, noting that the post was deleted within five minutes. Mamdani’s campaign has not yet responded to a request for comment.

“The video was a draft proposal that was neither finished nor approved, did not go through the normal legal process, and was inadvertently posted by a junior staffer — which is why it was taken down five minutes later,” Azzopardi said in a statement.

The Cuomo campaign has not yet responded to amNewYork’s inquiry about whether the “junior staffer” responsible for posting the video would face any reprimand.

However, journalist Prem Thakker re-uploaded the video on X, whose post has been viewed more than 2 million times.

The video has drawn widespread criticism from large swathes of social media users, including former Mayor Bill de Blasio, who described the ad as “disqualifying.”

“This is disqualifying,” de Blasio said in response to the ad. “No candidate who approves a racist, disgusting ad like this can be allowed to govern.”

Shannon Watts, founder of gun violence prevention non-profit Moms Demand Violence, described the video as “so gross” and “full of racist stereotypes.” Prominent media personality Mehdi Hasan also described the video as “racist.”

Government watchdog group Common Cause New York told the New York Times that the ad may have violated New York State election laws by failing to disclose that it was made using AI, while the group also described the contents of the video as “offensive and a shocking attempt at fear-mongering.” amNewYork has attempted to contact the group.

Cuomo raises stir on radio over terror reference

Cuomo, meanwhile, faced further criticism Thursday morning after appearing on Sid & Friends on WABC-AM radio when he encouraged host Sid Rosenberg to “imagine Mamdani” in the mayor’s office if there was a 9/11-style attack on the city.

“People’s lives are at stake. God forbid there’s another 9/11. Could you imagine Mamdani in that seat?” Cuomo said.

“Yeah, I could,” Rosenberg interrupted. “He’d be cheering.”

Rosenberg’s comments drew a chuckle from Cuomo, who said, “That’s another problem.”

That interview has also drawn fierce criticism, with U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres blasting Cuomo for apparently insinuating that Mamdani would celebrate a terrorist attack on the city.

“It should be possible to critique a candidate’s ideas without demonizing the candidate himself,” Torres wrote on X. “To insinuate that a mayoral candidate would celebrate a second 9/11 is beyond disgusting and disgraceful. We all have a responsibility to lower the temperature and to restore a measure of civility to our public discourse.”

Mamdani himself responded to a post about the interview, describing the comments as “just disgusting.”

The Democratic mayoral nominee later appeared on Pix11 Morning News with host Dan Mannarino, where he accused Cuomo of making “racist attacks” against him.

“This is disgusting,” Mamdani told Mannarino. “This is Andrew Cuomo’s final moments in public life, and he’s choosing to spend them making racist attacks on the person who would be the first Muslim to lead this city.”

Mamdani further stated that Cuomo’s comments on WABC were a slap in the face to the more than 1 million Muslims who call New York City home.

“There are more than 1 million Muslims who live in New York City, and to have our faith be smeared and slandered by someone who at one point was considered a leader in the Democratic Party showcases the fact that bigotry and racism are not exclusively a Republican problem,” Mamdani said.

Later on Thursday, Gov. Kathy Hochul, who succeeded Cuomo after he resigned as governor in 2021, took to X to seemingly reprimand her predecessor and the language used in the radio interview.

“Time to get out of the gutter,” said Hochul, who endorsed Mamdani in the election. “Fear-mongering, hate speech, and Islamophobia are beneath New York — and everything we stand for as a state.”