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Democratic frontrunner for New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani said he would be a leader for "every New Yorker" and try not to "pit people against each other," during a wide-ranging interview with "ABC News Live Prime" anchor Linsey Davis in the last stretch of the election. At the top of Monday's sit-down interview, Mamdani, 34, addressed what he has called anti-Islamic comments made to attack his campaign, following controversial statements made by one of his opponents, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. "This is a former governor who went on a radio show. The radio show host said that if there was another 9/11, I would be cheering it. Andrew Cuomo laughed and agreed. And it's been a number of days since then, and he's yet to apologize," Mamdani said. "That's not my description of his remarks as being Islamophobic. That is what those remarks are." Mamdani also responded to "shocking" remarks by Vice President JD Vance after the mayoral candidate said his aunt felt uncomfortable riding the subway wearing her hijab after 9/11. In response to Mamdani's comments, Vance said on social media: "According to Zohran the real victim of 9/11 was his auntie who got some (allegedly) bad looks." "It is sadly unsurprising, but still shocking to see the vice president of this country try and make a cheap joke about Islamophobia when what New Yorkers want is a vision of a city that can come together," Mamdani said of Vance's remarks. "And coming together means honoring every single person who calls this city their home, not trying to pit people against each other as has become the norm in both Republican politics and now we're also seeing in Democratic politics as well." On concerns about his candidacy from some Jewish leaders, after more than 1,000 rabbis from across the country signed a letter decrying his rhetoric on Israel, Mamdani said he has "appreciated" conversations he has had with rabbis and Jewish leaders in the five boroughs. "Those are conversations that have not only informed my understanding of what it means to root out antisemitism across the city, which we must do, but also the many different ways that we have to do it," he said, mentioning actions such as increasing funding for hate crime prevention and implementing a curriculum that "celebrates the breadth and the beauty of Jewish life in the history of this city." "I'm looking forward to being the mayor for every New Yorker, for every Jewish New Yorker, and not just those who actually vote for me, but anyone who calls the city home," he said. Days before early voting kicked off in New York City, Mamdani received an endorsement from one top Democrat -- House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. -- and has yet to be endorsed by the other -- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Asked what he makes of that, Mamdani said he appreciates Jeffries' support and that the two discussed affordability in particular. "I also say all of this knowing that the reason I sit in a chair across from you now as the Democratic nominee is not because of the number of endorsements that I've received, but because of the movement that we've built -- 90,000 New Yorkers who've been knocking on doors, making phone calls," Mamdani said. "Those are the people who've built this campaign. Those are the people who will take us across the finish line." Among Mamdani's affordability promises are free public buses, an increase in free childcare and frozen rents for rent-stabilized units. He has proposed paying for those through a 2% tax on New York City residents earning more than $1 million a year and an increase in the state's corporate tax rate to 11.5%. Both tax changes would need approval from state leaders, though New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has been clear that she does not intend to raise taxes on New Yorkers. Asked how he would fund his proposals if he isn't able to increase taxes, Mamdani said he would continue to push for the hikes -- which he argued would help "Trump-proof" New York City, following threats from President Donald Trump to take away federal funding from the city if the assemblyman, whom Trump has called a "radical" and "communist," wins. "I will continue to make the case as to why I think we need to increase taxes on the top 1% by 2%, why we need to raise the state's top corporate tax rate to match that of New Jersey, and in doing so, this would raise $9 billion. And that more than pays for our economic agenda and starts to actually 'Trump-proof' our city," he said. "And I will make that case because I think it makes the most sense in the wealthiest city and the wealthiest country in the history of the world that we actually ensure we have the funding necessary to make it a place that New Yorkers can afford." Asked what the biggest misconception is about him, Mamdani said he thinks it's that his affordability platform isn't for all New Yorkers. "There is, at times, a misconception about me and also in our politics that I'm only speaking to a certain set of New Yorkers when I'm speaking about that. That I'm only talking to tenants, for example, and not homeowners, that I'm only speaking to New Yorkers who live in this neighborhood as opposed to that one," he said. "For me, the affordability agenda, for it to have a real, true meaning, it has to be universally applied. It means both at once freezing the rent for rent-stabilized tenants and taking on a broken property tax system. It means at the same time that we are talking about how we make buses fast and free, that we are also looking to help those New Yorkers who don't take the bus, right?" Mamadani said. "This is a universal application of our politics because too often what politics is characterized by are leaders who are looking only to serve those who already agree with them. I'm looking to serve everyone who calls the city home," he added. ABC News' Victor Ordonez contributed to this report.
