One of New York City’s most liberal mayors just went on Fox News and admitted that “defund the police” was a mistake — and that Biden’s open border was a failure too.

Story Highlights

• Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told Sean Hannity that “defund the police” was a mistake and that Democrats deserve criticism for Biden’s border failures.
• De Blasio said flat out: “I don’t like what Biden did with the border” — a rare public break from a top Democrat.
• The two clashed loudly over crime and the mass departure of residents fleeing New York City.
• De Blasio even agreed with Hannity on the Trump administration’s approach to illegal immigration.

De Blasio Breaks With the Left on Police and the Border

Bill de Blasio, the far-left former mayor of New York City, sat down with Sean Hannity and said what many conservatives have argued for years. “Defund was a mistake,” de Blasio admitted. “I understand where it came from, but it was a mistake.” He also took direct aim at his own party’s record on the border, saying Democrats “rightfully” deserve blame for the failures of Biden’s immigration policy.

De Blasio didn’t stop there. He told Hannity plainly: “I don’t like what Biden did with the border.” That’s a stunning admission from a man who spent years championing progressive causes in America’s largest city. For conservatives who watched crime rise and New York bleed residents during de Blasio’s time in office, hearing him walk back these policies is a long time coming.

A Heated Exchange Over Crime and New Yorkers Fleeing the State

The interview got tense fast. De Blasio and Hannity clashed over crime in New York City and the wave of residents leaving the state. Hannity pressed de Blasio on how lax border enforcement helped flood New York City with migrants, straining city services and public safety. The exchange grew so heated that de Blasio snapped at Hannity to let him finish his points.

Hannity pushed back hard, arguing that Biden acted far too late to address the border crisis and shouldn’t get credit for any last-minute course correction. De Blasio acknowledged the migrant situation became more severe than he expected. That kind of admission from a Democrat who once welcomed illegal immigrants as a “sanctuary city” mayor is remarkable — and it reflects just how badly the left’s open-border policies hurt real American communities.

De Blasio Even Sides With Trump on Immigration Enforcement

Perhaps the most surprising moment came when de Blasio agreed with Hannity on the Trump administration’s approach to illegal immigration. For years, de Blasio positioned himself as one of the loudest opponents of tough immigration enforcement. Hearing him now align — even partially — with the Trump approach shows how thoroughly the left’s soft-on-crime, open-border experiment failed. Voters saw it. Residents fled. And now even the architects of those policies are admitting it.

"She is the Democratic nominee, I would vote for her, yes."

New York congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier has supported abolishing borders, prisons and police, and called America a "f—ing disgrace" — but former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says he would… pic.twitter.com/5JDTejJyKl

— Q STORM CHASER (@Qstorm_chaser) July 2, 2026

This interview is a window into a larger shift happening inside the Democratic Party. Local leaders who lived with the consequences of “defund the police” and Biden’s open border are starting to say out loud what conservatives have said for years. The policies failed. They hurt people. And pretending otherwise isn’t working anymore. Whether the national Democratic Party is listening is another question entirely — but at least one of their own is finally telling the truth.

Sources:

mediaite.com, youtube.com, nytimes.com, washingtonpost.com, foxnews.com, instagram.com