Abby Phillip, a host at CNN, provided an on-air correction for previously claiming that the ISIS-inspired terror attack in New York City was directed at Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Over the weekend, she had already issued a correction on X (social media platform) (formerly Twitter).
This morning, Phillip told her viewers, “This morning I issued a correction first thing in the morning on X for a mistake that I made in last night’s show, but I also wanted to do so on air as well.”
She continued, “I incorrectly said that the bombs that were thrown by ISIS-inspired suspects in New York over the weekend were directed at Mayor Mamdani. They were not. I failed to catch and correct that mistake in real time, and I take full responsibility for that.”
BREAKING🚨: Massive backlash forces Abby Phillip to correct on-air: “I incorrectly said the ISIS-inspired NYC bombs targeted Mayor Mamdani. They were thrown at anti-Muslim protesters—not him.” She takes responsibility. CNN’s multiple corrections continue. 😬 pic.twitter.com/KGf6mdBfvj
— Officer Lew (@officer_Lew) March 12, 2026
The CNN anchor added, “And while we do make mistakes, it is important to acknowledge and correct those errors when they happen.”
On March 11, Abby Phillip took to X (social media platform) to correct herself. “I want to correct something I said last night. The bombs thrown in New York City over the weekend by ISIS-inspired attackers were thrown into a crowd of anti-Muslim protesters and not specifically targeted at Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
That wording was inaccurate, and I didn’t catch it ahead of time. I apologize for the error,” the CNN host wrote.
Her comments came after massive backlash over her claim that suspects Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, and Emir Balat, 18, attempted a bomb attack targeting Mamdani. While previewing a segment on the attempted attack, Phillip said, “Two Republicans say Muslims don’t belong here after an attempted terror attack against New York’s Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the House Speaker, Mike Johnson, says nothing, really, to condemn those comments.”
Her slip-up immediately sparked backlash. After the news anchor apologized on X, users asked her to do the same on air. “I was literally about to make a video calling you out. What you probably should do is say this on air, because a lot of people who watch CNN don’t have X,” one wrote.
I want to correct something I said last night. The bombs thrown in New York City over the weekend by ISIS inspired attackers was thrown into a crowd of anti-Muslim protestors and not specifically targeted at Mayor Mamdani. That wording was inaccurate and I didn’t catch it ahead…
— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) March 11, 2026
Another echoed, “If you have an ounce of integrity left, you would go on air and correct it Let’s see what happens.” MAGA loyalist Laura Loomer slammed her, saying, “Why did you say it to begin with? Why do you run cover for ISIS?”
CNN political commentator Ana Navarro also repeated Phillip’s claims on Tuesday night. Republican panelist Joe Borelli called her out, saying, “To be clear, the attack wasn’t on Mayor Mamdani.”
“It was attacking protesters, people protesting Mamdani. To frame it as an anti-Muslim attack would actually completely reverse what happened. Someone who shouted ‘Allah Akbar’ threw a bomb that didn’t go off at the protesters,” said Borelli.
