Paladino gained media attention in 2017 after she confronted then-New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio at a public appearance.
Paladino, who was on her way home from a nail salon, stopped to shout at de Blasio for having traveled to Germany to attend a protest a day after a New York City police officer had been shot to death.
[10] On May 3, 2024, in response to campus protests against Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip, Paladino called college students "monsters" who must be "slayed" in New York City.
[11] In January 2025, in response to a report by a StreetsBlog NYC reporter on illegal parking on sidewalks by the New York City Police Department, Paladino posted on X that “You can just tell when a guy has never been punched in the face.”[12] Paladino's post was criticized for promoting violence by a spokesperson for the New York City Council who said it was "unacceptable and can lead to a dangerous escalation that undermines public safety."
[13] Paladino has been criticized for her employment of her son after press reported that he was an active user of alt-tech social network Gab where he made posts suggesting Africans were "savages" and implying that California Congresswoman Maxine Waters should be shot.