Mamdani shrugs off AOC's 'Woke 1' comments, but critic says progressives can't be absolved of 'radical' past

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was asked Wednesday during a press conference about his thoughts on whether the "Woke 1" era was "crazy," following Rep.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., going viral for her recent comments.

"I have a local city councilman that has this saying, ' Woke 1 was crazy ,'" Ocasio-Cortez said on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday, adding, "And I think that what’s important is that we have to assess what a candidate is saying now." In response, Mamdani emphasized that people can "change" and "develop" their beliefs while adding that he does not support things like defunding the police .

FRANCESCA HONG ASKED ABOUT LACK OF AOC ENDORSEMENT AND THE HOUSE DEM'S REMARK ABOUT THE 'WOKE 1' ERA "Look, I think that each person has a responsibility to tell New Yorkers, to tell Americans when they're running for office what they believe," Mamdani said .

"And sometimes, what you believe can change.

It can develop.

It can grow.

And I know that there are some for whom they still believe in that." "I've made very clear that I do not believe in defunding the police, that I will not be defunding the police, and that to me, delivering critical public safety also looks like working with our police department alongside many other partners," he said.

"And we've seen over the first seven months of this administration what that can look like when we're talking about the fewest murders on record in New York City , the fewest shooting incidents on record in New York City," Mamdani continued.

During a Friday radio appearance, the New York City mayor put distance between his administration and the Democratic Socialists of America's (DSA's) abolition platform, defending police, prisons and jails.

AOC TRIES TO LAUGH OFF 'CRAZY' WOKE ERA AS THING OF THE PAST, BUT CONSERVATIVES AREN'T AMUSED While praising the efforts of the NYPD, he emphasized that public safety should not come at the expense of justice.

"I would say, especially when it comes to public safety, I've been very clear that we have our police force , we have prisons, we have jails [and] the purpose of these is also to ensure that we are delivering safety and justice hand in hand.

And what that means is that New Yorkers need not choose between the two," Mamdani said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the mayor's office for comment but did not immediately hear back.