Gov. Andrew Cuomo defiantly addressed his n-word scandal for the first time on Sunday — blaming the press for his decision to say the racist slur in full on the radio.

Cuomo sparked outrage Tuesday when he said the vile term while addressing attacks on Italian-Americans — with State Assemblyman Charles Barron among those saying he “owes the black community an apology.”

The governor instead blamed the New York Times for writing the article he was quoting from — suggesting the paper was also to blame for his decision Tuesday to say the word during a live radio interview.

“That was the point of the article, and I directly quoted the New York Times,” Cuomo said Sunday while announcing road improvements around Albany International Airport.

“You should ask the New York Times if they think it was appropriate,” Cuomo insisted after being pressed by a Post reporter over his decision to utter it in full.

“I was just quoting the New York Times — if I quoted The Post I would say, ‘Talk to The Post,'” he stressed, taking no responsibility for his decision.

Cuomo had cited a Times op-ed by Brent Staples about the treatment of Italian Americans in the past — and said the entire n-word while talking about slurs once used against the Italian community.

“They used an expression that southern Italians were called, I believe they were saying southern Italians, Sicilians — I’m half Sicilian — were called, quote-unquote and pardon my language, but I’m just quoting the Times: ‘n—r wops.’ n-word wops, as a derogatory comment,” Cuomo said, slowly and clearly saying the whole inflammatory epithet.

Barron — a longtime activist and former Black Panther — blasted Cuomo’s utterance as “very inappropriate” and “disrespectful.”

“He has enough discriminatory words used against Italians not to use the n-word. You don’t have to throw us into it,” Barron said.

Longtime Cuomo critic Bertha Lewis, the founder and president of the Black Institute, said: “There’s no comparison between black people and Italians. Because if he actually believed that he would’ve done a far better job in his last two terms with my people.”

But others defended Cuomo’s use of the word given the message he was expressing.

State Sen. Kevin Parker, who his African-American, said he was using it in “a very specific, historical context,” while Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said it was clear Cuomo only used the slur “for context.”

Georgia Verdier, the President of the Elmira branch of the NAACP, praised the governor for his “powerful message regarding the ‘Cancer Within,’ known as racism,” according to WETM.