CNN host Abby Phillip had a rough news cycle.
The anchor drew heavy backlash after claiming on air that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was the intended target of the attempted bombing in Manhattan over the weekend. The problem? There was no evidence for that claim at the time — and critics say it looked like another rush to spin the story before the facts were even clear.
The incident itself was serious enough without the speculation. Authorities say two ISIS-inspired suspects — 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi and 18-year-old Emir Balat — allegedly hurled a homemade improvised explosive device into a crowd of anti-Islamic protesters.
Phillip posted an apology on X the following morning, saying the “wording was inaccurate and I didn’t catch it ahead of time.” The response did little to calm critics.
Many pointed out that even in the apology she still seemed to suggest that Mayor Zohran Mamdani may have been a target of the attack, leaving questions about whether she fully walked back the original claim. Others also questioned why the correction initially appeared only on social media rather than during the broadcast where the statement was made.
As it turned out, Phillip did eventually address the issue on her show.
“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,” Phillip said. “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. And while we do make mistakes, it is important to acknowledge and correct those errors when they happen.”
WATCH: @abbydphillip issues an on-air correction, complementary of the one published this morning on X, for stating the Gracie Mansion bombers targeted Mayor Mandani. We seldom see on-air corrections for on-air botches but here it is. The right thing. On A-block.
ABBY PHILLIP:… pic.twitter.com/u4Cxurrv5g
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) March 12, 2026
Other social media users also noted that Phillip didn’t correct TDS-addled panelist Ana Navarro when she made the same BS claim.
And then she proceeds to let Anna Navarro spew the same BS unchallenged.
Apology rejected.
— Harrison Bergeron (@david_amrine) March 12, 2026
Other facts were missing from Phillip’s ‘apology.’
Notice she did not state who those bombs were intended for. Baby steps I guess. https://t.co/IZXAp92BPT
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) March 12, 2026
She also failed to mention who threw the improvised devices and why.
It wasn’t the right thing.
She still didn’t say *WHO* threw the bombs and why – namely that bombs were through by MUSLIM TERRORISTSDon’t give her credit she doesn’t deserve.
— Diana Villiers (@DianaVilliers1) March 12, 2026
Phillip also dismissed clear Islamic ties to terrorism.
MOYNIHAN: “We’ve had 2 terrorist attacks in NYC the last 10 days.”
PHILLIP: “What does that have to do with whether Muslims belong in American society as a group?”
Abby is a terrorist sympathizer pic.twitter.com/1ySF6m6eeW
— Sara Rose ??? (@saras76) March 11, 2026
There was also an Islamic terror attack in Austin, Texas, where Ndiaga Diagne, a naturalized citizen from Senegal, opened fire on bar patrons. Diagne was wearing a “Property of Allah” sweatshirt with an Iranian flag t-shirt underneath.
Again, this wasn’t a mistake. This is them retreating to the position that if they somehow make out the violence to be directed at someone they like, they get to play the victim and not ask any tough questions about the attackers.
Typical playbook. https://t.co/XyyhKmXMOF
— Steven Cook (@Drusas_Rake) March 12, 2026
That’s exactly right. They want Jake Lang, who organized the anti-Islam protest, to be portrayed as a “white supremacist.” The fact that Muslim terrorists have actually validated his point undermines that narrative.
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