Governor Kathy Hochul's Most Controversial Moments

Andrew Cuomo's replacement, Kathy Hochul, was a history making elect, becoming the first female governor of New York. A former New York Congresswoman and the Lieutenant Governor, Hochul built a career deeply rooted in the people and the state of New York. Moving up the political ladder to governor was the next logical step for the seasoned politician. But, as Hochul took office and started her new elected position, the Democrat's bad decisions and questionable behavior started making headlines across the nation. 

Since sliding into the role in 2023, the governor has made some choice words and inappropriate posts that have left New Yorkers scratching their heads and the rest of the nation cringing at her ignorance. From comments that led to internet backlash, to sharing inappropriate social media posts that boasted of her use of the National Guard, even to lying about her local hang outs in Manhattan, Hochul's missteps seem to know no bounds. Caught in controversy after controversy, the former New York Congresswoman's groundbreaking candidacy and subsequent win were overshadowed by the glaring mistakes of her term (though, the state may be fit for Hochul's sketchy behavior, after all, some of Donald Trump's biggest controversies happened in New York).

Like any city dweller, Kathy Hochul had her own favorite haunts. The former New York congresswoman told her constituents in early 2024 that as she loved to stop by the Comfort Diner in Manhattan. The small local spot was one of many, the governor hinted at during a press conference in November 2024 when she claimed to spend more time in diners than anyone else at the event. But the owner of the diner sang a different tune when asked about the politician's frequent visits.

"After the election, she doesn't come. She must have changed," Tarek Soliman, the owner of Comfort Diner, revealed to the New York Post. Hochul's decision to lie over something so small gave the governor a bad look, especially when the truth revealed her lack of support for a local business. But even though her fibbing of the truth ended in disaster, it wasn't all a lie. Soliman did corroborate part of the former New York congresswoman's story, with a clarification of the fine details, sharing, "Before the election, she comes all the time." 

December 4, 2024, Luigi Mangione shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The news of the crime rocked the world and sent many CEOs into a panic, fearing for their lives believing that they may be next in a secret assassination attempt. With the billionaire's death, Governor Kathy Hochul's office was allegedly prepping to set up a new protection system for CEOs. As sources revealed to CNN, Hochul's plan was to design a hotline for CEOs to report security threats and safety concerns given the violent killing of Thompson. The system would use taxpayer dollars to protect the multimillionaires of the state which, New Yorkers were quick to point out, could afford security of their own. "By state assistance do you mean taxpayer money?? For security for CEO's of billion dollar corporations?? Why can't they pay for this themselves?" an X user tweeted after hearing the news.

"I don't seem to remember this kind of a state response and resources going to NYC when the homicide rate spiked around 2022 but I guess that was just regular people," another X user wrote. As a third user was quick to point out, "Hochul and Dems openly care more about CEOs than, say, school kids who are at risk of massacre every day. Hochul is particularly dismal." 

In December 2024, terror struck a New York City subway, as in the early hours of the 22nd, a woman was burned alive while traveling. The crime became national news, especially because of the train's security camera system that had recorded the event. Shocking and horrifying, many voiced their concerns for the safety of public transportation and the protection of women. Less than 24 hours later, in the afternoon after the crime scene was discovered, Governor Kathy Hochul landed herself in some hot water. 

In March, I took action to make our subways safer for the millions of people who take the trains each day.  

Since deploying the @NationalGuardNY to support @NYPDnews and @MTA safety efforts and adding cameras to all subway cars, crime is going down, and ridership is going up. pic.twitter.com/T7uRxx9nIO

— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) December 22, 2024

Sharing photos of herself to her X (formerly Twitter) account, she boasted of dedicating time and effort into creating safe subways. "In March, I took action to make our subways safer for the millions of people who take the trains each day," she tweeted just hours after the brutal attack. "Since deploying the @NationalGuardNY to support @NYPDnews and @MTA safety efforts and adding cameras to all subway cars, crime is going down, and ridership is going up." Hochul's social media blew up with backlash after the tweet was posted. "What a horrible day to post this," an X user replied under the governor's tweet. The politician seemingly doesn't read her comment section because, as of November 2025, the tweet is still up. 

In May 2024, Governor Kathy Hochul made a controversial claim that black children in the Bronx do not know the word 'computer.' "Right now, we have young black kids growing up in the Bronx who don't even know what the word 'computer' is. They don't know these things," she said (via BBC) while speaking at a technology panel across the country in California. The comment received such an incredibly powerful wave of criticism that Governor Hochul was forced to release a statement later that day. The politician agreed that she had misspoken and that she had regretted her words before adding (via BBC) "Of course black children in the Bronx know what computers are — the problem is that they too often lack access to the technology needed to get on track to high-paying jobs in emerging industries like AI."

The questionable comment sounded like something straight out of President Donald Trump's typical inappropriate ramblings. Her claim earned a response from Hawk Newsome, the co-founder of Black Lives Matter of Greater New York, who said (via Politico), "Our governor does not know the true capabilities of the children of the Bronx. These are great, special children who will grow up to be world-changing adults — if only New York State government would do their part."