March 24, 2025 • 9 mins
Curtis Sliwa joins Mendte in the Morning to talk about his NYC Mayoral bid and what chances he thinks he has at winning.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for being here on a Monday morning. I'm so thrilled.
Right now, I'm looking right across the table here in
the studio, and there is Curtis Lee. Why I have
not seen him in years. We used to work at
the same station together. I was just telling the story
that I would be on in the weekends, and I
was on late on the weekends, and there was Curtis,
always prepping for the show, always prepping for his next show,
(00:23):
always prepared. I can't wait to talk to him. He'll
be coming up right after the Big Three. Another singholl
on Interstate eighty in New Jersey. Now there's one in
both the westbound and the eastbound lanes, causing a traffic nightmare.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
This has been a nasty situation now for the past
couple of months.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
It's only got worse.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Subject to tests. Are hoping. I have westbound hoping again
within the week, but I think eastbound is still as
Tom and I were here a couple of months ago,
and with that congress Kaine for his great work here
as well, we're still probably six d eight weeks away.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
That was Governor Ury, as he mentioned. Congressman Tom Caine
also there, Secretary of transportation Sean Duffy, who lives near
the site. He said federal money is coming to help
with the repairs and talk about tone deaf. Governor Hokeel
holds a congestion pricing rally in Manhattan. Yeah, they're chanting
(01:21):
traffic is down, business is up. That second part is questionable.
I think if you talk to small business owners in Midtown,
their business is not up. Now they're going to court
against the Trump administration that's threatening to withhold funding if
the cameras aren't turned off. Now it's next month. It
was supposed to be less Friday. Columbia University has cave
(01:42):
do the Trump administration demands after facing losing four hundred
million dollars in federal funding, something that many students aren't
happy about.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
It's never the place of the government to really do
these things. I think it's.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
Kind of honestly disgraceful, to be quite honest, because Columbus
has such a long reputation, long history. I mean, this
protest school are kind of not wavering in the face
of like federal action and kind of like letting the
students act on their own. So I think this is
just an act of cowardice. Quite honestly.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
And now the Columbia has caved. Sixty other universities are
unnotice now to make similar changes to prevent anti Israeli
pro Hamas protest. And with that, our Big four is.
The next mayor of New York City is sitting here,
Curtis Leewa, the top Republican challenger for the job. So
(02:35):
good to see you again. Thank you for coming in.
That was great lair.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
You know, generally it's your colleague Mark Simone who touchs
me as the next mayor all the time. He did
it though last night, even more so than most of
the folks at the station that I used to work at.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Yeah, I didn't even know he said that. I didn't
even know he said that. But we're on the same
line and on the same wavelengths. Because I'd love to
see you. I think you'd be wonderful for the city
to become mayor. But you know what you're up against.
You know about the Democratic registration in this city. You
know about funding and the funds the Democrats get. How
(03:10):
do you plan on doing this?
Speaker 3 (03:11):
Well, no, no one. If it was just one on one
a Democrat versus a Republican, You're right that would be
an arduous situation, but it's gonna turn out. You're gonna
have four in the general. Maybe more so, let's assume
that Cuomo wins the Democratic primary. Body's gonna get battered
and Bruce because there's ranked choice voting. Most voters have
(03:32):
no idea how that Bengo card works. And the far left,
the Liberals, the progressives, they're working very hard to remain
discipline this time. Don't put Adams on your Bengo card,
don't put Cuomo on your Bengo card. So it'll probably
end up being very tight. I believe that the new
golden child of the Democratic Party, Zoran, will become the
(03:56):
Working Families Party candidate, because they hate Cromo, who tried
to destroy them and yet they were able to survive that.
I think Eric Adams is going to run as an independent.
It's gonna do what John Lindsay did in nineteen sixty nine.
Is a sitting mayor who lost the Republican nomination and
yet one anyway against three when he ran on the
Liberal party line, and then I'm the lone Republican. Now
(04:19):
I got thirty percent of the vote last time. Start
doing your mathematics, so all of a sudden when you
got four involved in the general race, and you know
the three Democrats are going to be going at one another.
If I hold the thirty and a few percentage points,
I'm the mayor. I mean, just do the analytics. Nobody
wants to do that. But when you tell them it's
(04:40):
going to be four in the general, so well, now
that's conceivable, that's plausible.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
Yeah, not only four, but four that can get votes.
I mean four that could get over ten percent at least,
maybe even twenty percent. And with that, you're right, the
math works in your favor. There's another mathematical equation to
take in in this, and that is very few people
show up for these elections. It was twenty one the
last election. So if Republicans get out to vote, or
(05:05):
if some common sense Democrats get out to vote and
vote for you, you got a shot.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
And Larry, it's really the independents who have this way.
They double the number of independence registered than Republicans. And
I used to be the chairman of the State Reform
Party until Andrew cmo decided in his war against the
Working Families Party. How dare they nominate Cynthia Nixon? He
destroyed all the independent parties, so you had the Green Party,
the Libertarian Party, the Reform Party and the Independence Party
(05:32):
wiped out. All he succeeded in doing was strengthening the
Working Families Party. You only have two now independent parties, Conservatives,
Working Families Party. They want revenge against Cuomo, so they're
going to be going Adam hard. Eric Adams is sitting
on three million dollars people always not raising any money.
He's got three million dollars untouched that if this federal
(05:54):
judge drops the case against them, which he's going to
based on the recommendation of the council that he appointed,
then he's going to go to the campaign Finance Board
and said you wouldn't give me matching funds on the
three million because you said I was indicted for shadow
for store donors, which is a serious crime. Now I've
(06:15):
been relieved of that, where's my matching funds? So you're
talking about three Democrats who are going to be going
at one another, and I'm opposed to almost everything that
they're in favor of. You almost have to look at me.
Can you mention congestion pricing? They are all four congestion
pricing I'm the only one opposed to it. Andrew Cuomo
is the author, the godfather of no cash bail. He
(06:38):
doubled down on it a week ago.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Let's zero it on congestion pricing for a second. How
can you stop it.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Well, you work in tandem with the Trump administration and
you try to apply the pressure, and you work with
Lee Zeldon, the former congressman who's head of the EPA,
and you state to him, hey, there were not effective
EPA studies done. Murphy has brought that up in New
Jersey as as a Facella, the borough president, along with
molgru the chairman of the uft an unlikely Unity team
(07:08):
there against congestion price.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
And there was no public comment either. Yes, there should
have been.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
And this nonsense that they're saying business is up. Where
do you walk around Midtown? It's like a ghosttown. I'm
coming up to your studios here, it's nobody around.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
No, they're talking about the big the big item stores
like Sacksovith Avenue. They're talking about those stores because now
there's no congestion. The peons aren't on the roads anymore.
So the rich people can make it to shop where
they want to shop. I'll tell you what if crime
is the biggest issue, and it seems like it is
over and over again, I can't think of anyone who's
(07:43):
going to do more to fight crime in this city
than you. What do you think of all these statistics
that are thrown out that crime is down, crime is down,
crime is down. You have the Trump administration saying, what
are you talking about. We're looking at the stats. It's
up fifty eight percent from four years ago.
Speaker 4 (07:58):
Oh.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
In fact, they've demanded a complete accounting of all the
crimes that have been committed in the subways and on
the buses in order to continue federal funding for mass transportation.
And they're right to do that. They've cooked the books.
There is not a man or a woman or a
child in New York City who thinks it's safer in
their neighborhood or safer in the subways. So you can
(08:19):
stop making arrests and it can make your figures look
good in the books, and you can tout the fact
that crime is at an all time low level. Nobody
believes that. And the only one who's ever fought crime,
the only one who knows how to bring crime down,
is courteously with forty six years Guardian Angels leader. I've
been doing this on a regular basis with no governmental support.
(08:41):
Eric Adams was supposed to be missed the law and order.
He's failed in that test. And Andrew Cuomo is the
author of every rule in regulation that has allowed the
criminals to run free, and he has not apologized or
amended any of them. He says he wants to hire
more cops. He says it's recidivism. Well, recidivism is the
result to the fact that there's no cash bail, and
(09:02):
you put them right out into the streets. He's also
the author of the bill that said sixteen to eighteen
year olds could no longer be considered adults. And they
run the streets and they commit most of the violent crimes.
So every way you look is a Cuomo statute or
Cromo law that has encouraged anarchy, that has encouraged chaos
(09:22):
and has led to this unprecedented crime rise. Nobody feels
safe in New York City.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Nobody.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
You're gonna be able to stick around for a little bit.
We have to take a break, but you can come back, right.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
I think I can stick around.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
I really appreciate that we want to talk about Donald
Trump and the effect he might have on this race
when we come back with Curtis Leewa right after a
short break,
Thanks for being here on a Monday morning. I'm so thrilled.
Right now, I'm looking right across the table here in
the studio, and there is Curtis Lee. Why I have
not seen him in years. We used to work at
the same station together. I was just telling the story
that I would be on in the weekends, and I
was on late on the weekends, and there was Curtis,
always prepping for the show, always prepping for his next show,
(00:23):
always prepared. I can't wait to talk to him. He'll
be coming up right after the Big Three. Another singholl
on Interstate eighty in New Jersey. Now there's one in
both the westbound and the eastbound lanes, causing a traffic nightmare.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
This has been a nasty situation now for the past
couple of months.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
It's only got worse.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Subject to tests. Are hoping. I have westbound hoping again
within the week, but I think eastbound is still as
Tom and I were here a couple of months ago,
and with that congress Kaine for his great work here
as well, we're still probably six d eight weeks away.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
That was Governor Ury, as he mentioned. Congressman Tom Caine
also there, Secretary of transportation Sean Duffy, who lives near
the site. He said federal money is coming to help
with the repairs and talk about tone deaf. Governor Hokeel
holds a congestion pricing rally in Manhattan. Yeah, they're chanting
(01:21):
traffic is down, business is up. That second part is questionable.
I think if you talk to small business owners in Midtown,
their business is not up. Now they're going to court
against the Trump administration that's threatening to withhold funding if
the cameras aren't turned off. Now it's next month. It
was supposed to be less Friday. Columbia University has cave
(01:42):
do the Trump administration demands after facing losing four hundred
million dollars in federal funding, something that many students aren't
happy about.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
It's never the place of the government to really do
these things. I think it's.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
Kind of honestly disgraceful, to be quite honest, because Columbus
has such a long reputation, long history. I mean, this
protest school are kind of not wavering in the face
of like federal action and kind of like letting the
students act on their own. So I think this is
just an act of cowardice. Quite honestly.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
And now the Columbia has caved. Sixty other universities are
unnotice now to make similar changes to prevent anti Israeli
pro Hamas protest. And with that, our Big four is.
The next mayor of New York City is sitting here,
Curtis Leewa, the top Republican challenger for the job. So
(02:35):
good to see you again. Thank you for coming in.
That was great lair.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
You know, generally it's your colleague Mark Simone who touchs
me as the next mayor all the time. He did
it though last night, even more so than most of
the folks at the station that I used to work at.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Yeah, I didn't even know he said that. I didn't
even know he said that. But we're on the same
line and on the same wavelengths. Because I'd love to
see you. I think you'd be wonderful for the city
to become mayor. But you know what you're up against.
You know about the Democratic registration in this city. You
know about funding and the funds the Democrats get. How
(03:10):
do you plan on doing this?
Speaker 3 (03:11):
Well, no, no one. If it was just one on one
a Democrat versus a Republican, You're right that would be
an arduous situation, but it's gonna turn out. You're gonna
have four in the general. Maybe more so, let's assume
that Cuomo wins the Democratic primary. Body's gonna get battered
and Bruce because there's ranked choice voting. Most voters have
(03:32):
no idea how that Bengo card works. And the far left,
the Liberals, the progressives, they're working very hard to remain
discipline this time. Don't put Adams on your Bengo card,
don't put Cuomo on your Bengo card. So it'll probably
end up being very tight. I believe that the new
golden child of the Democratic Party, Zoran, will become the
(03:56):
Working Families Party candidate, because they hate Cromo, who tried
to destroy them and yet they were able to survive that.
I think Eric Adams is going to run as an independent.
It's gonna do what John Lindsay did in nineteen sixty nine.
Is a sitting mayor who lost the Republican nomination and
yet one anyway against three when he ran on the
Liberal party line, and then I'm the lone Republican. Now
(04:19):
I got thirty percent of the vote last time. Start
doing your mathematics, so all of a sudden when you
got four involved in the general race, and you know
the three Democrats are going to be going at one another.
If I hold the thirty and a few percentage points,
I'm the mayor. I mean, just do the analytics. Nobody
wants to do that. But when you tell them it's
(04:40):
going to be four in the general, so well, now
that's conceivable, that's plausible.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
Yeah, not only four, but four that can get votes.
I mean four that could get over ten percent at least,
maybe even twenty percent. And with that, you're right, the
math works in your favor. There's another mathematical equation to
take in in this, and that is very few people
show up for these elections. It was twenty one the
last election. So if Republicans get out to vote, or
(05:05):
if some common sense Democrats get out to vote and
vote for you, you got a shot.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
And Larry, it's really the independents who have this way.
They double the number of independence registered than Republicans. And
I used to be the chairman of the State Reform
Party until Andrew cmo decided in his war against the
Working Families Party. How dare they nominate Cynthia Nixon? He
destroyed all the independent parties, so you had the Green Party,
the Libertarian Party, the Reform Party and the Independence Party
(05:32):
wiped out. All he succeeded in doing was strengthening the
Working Families Party. You only have two now independent parties, Conservatives,
Working Families Party. They want revenge against Cuomo, so they're
going to be going Adam hard. Eric Adams is sitting
on three million dollars people always not raising any money.
He's got three million dollars untouched that if this federal
(05:54):
judge drops the case against them, which he's going to
based on the recommendation of the council that he appointed,
then he's going to go to the campaign Finance Board
and said you wouldn't give me matching funds on the
three million because you said I was indicted for shadow
for store donors, which is a serious crime. Now I've
(06:15):
been relieved of that, where's my matching funds? So you're
talking about three Democrats who are going to be going
at one another, and I'm opposed to almost everything that
they're in favor of. You almost have to look at me.
Can you mention congestion pricing? They are all four congestion
pricing I'm the only one opposed to it. Andrew Cuomo
is the author, the godfather of no cash bail. He
(06:38):
doubled down on it a week ago.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Let's zero it on congestion pricing for a second. How
can you stop it.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Well, you work in tandem with the Trump administration and
you try to apply the pressure, and you work with
Lee Zeldon, the former congressman who's head of the EPA,
and you state to him, hey, there were not effective
EPA studies done. Murphy has brought that up in New
Jersey as as a Facella, the borough president, along with
molgru the chairman of the uft an unlikely Unity team
(07:08):
there against congestion price.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
And there was no public comment either. Yes, there should
have been.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
And this nonsense that they're saying business is up. Where
do you walk around Midtown? It's like a ghosttown. I'm
coming up to your studios here, it's nobody around.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
No, they're talking about the big the big item stores
like Sacksovith Avenue. They're talking about those stores because now
there's no congestion. The peons aren't on the roads anymore.
So the rich people can make it to shop where
they want to shop. I'll tell you what if crime
is the biggest issue, and it seems like it is
over and over again, I can't think of anyone who's
(07:43):
going to do more to fight crime in this city
than you. What do you think of all these statistics
that are thrown out that crime is down, crime is down,
crime is down. You have the Trump administration saying, what
are you talking about. We're looking at the stats. It's
up fifty eight percent from four years ago.
Speaker 4 (07:58):
Oh.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
In fact, they've demanded a complete accounting of all the
crimes that have been committed in the subways and on
the buses in order to continue federal funding for mass transportation.
And they're right to do that. They've cooked the books.
There is not a man or a woman or a
child in New York City who thinks it's safer in
their neighborhood or safer in the subways. So you can
(08:19):
stop making arrests and it can make your figures look
good in the books, and you can tout the fact
that crime is at an all time low level. Nobody
believes that. And the only one who's ever fought crime,
the only one who knows how to bring crime down,
is courteously with forty six years Guardian Angels leader. I've
been doing this on a regular basis with no governmental support.
(08:41):
Eric Adams was supposed to be missed the law and order.
He's failed in that test. And Andrew Cuomo is the
author of every rule in regulation that has allowed the
criminals to run free, and he has not apologized or
amended any of them. He says he wants to hire
more cops. He says it's recidivism. Well, recidivism is the
result to the fact that there's no cash bail, and
(09:02):
you put them right out into the streets. He's also
the author of the bill that said sixteen to eighteen
year olds could no longer be considered adults. And they
run the streets and they commit most of the violent crimes.
So every way you look is a Cuomo statute or
Cromo law that has encouraged anarchy, that has encouraged chaos
(09:22):
and has led to this unprecedented crime rise. Nobody feels
safe in New York City.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Nobody.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
You're gonna be able to stick around for a little bit.
We have to take a break, but you can come back, right.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
I think I can stick around.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
I really appreciate that we want to talk about Donald
Trump and the effect he might have on this race
when we come back with Curtis Leewa right after a
short break,
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