New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) didn’t mince her words toward Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) on Friday after the MAGA Republican continued her spree of Islamophobic attacks against New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.
Stefanik — who is running for governor and looks to challenge Hochul as she seeks a second full term next year — seemingly distanced herself from Donald Trump after the president praised Mamdani in their Oval Office meeting, one where Trump dismissed Stefanik’s “jihadist” label for the mayor-elect.
“We all want NYC to succeed. But we’ll have to agree to disagree on this one,” wrote Stefanik on X before leaning into an attack she’s repeatedly hurled at Mamdani since his mayoral primary upset in June.
“If he walks like a jihadist If he talks like a jihadist If he campaigns like a jihadist If he supports jihadists, He’s a jihadist. And he’s @KathyHochul ’s jihadist.”
Hochul — who declined to endorse Mamdani for months before eventually doing so in September, when she wrote that she’s looking for the next mayor to not “surrender” to Trump — hit back at Stefanik in a live interview on MS NOW.
“She’s full of shit,” Hochul told host Chris Hayes before swiftly checking herself. “I’m sorry. I mean she really is.”
Hochul stressed that Stefanik is taking “such an extreme position.”
“She’s even more extreme than Donald Trump. I didn’t think that was possible but she’s succeeded in proving that today,” she said. “She’s out-MAGA’d Donald Trump, the founder of the MAGA movement.”
Hochul sarcastically added that she hopes Stefanik is “proud of herself” for “continuing to spew hateful thoughts and deeds” as well as trying to spread more violent, political rhetoric.
“I think it’s disgusting, it’s abhorrent, but that’s who she is and people are seeing this and even the president realized that’s even too far for him.”