So Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s socialist mayoral hopeful, struts up to a 135-pound barbell at Brooklyn’s Men’s Day event, ready to flex for the crowd. But the bar barely budges, and his spotter has to play lifeguard, never letting go. The video blows up online, and suddenly, the AOC-Bernie Sanders protégé is “Mamscrawny” across X. It’s more than a gym flop—it’s a glaring metaphor for a candidate whose radical ideas can’t lift the weight of New York’s real challenges.
Zohran Mamdani’s bench press blunder is more than a viral embarrassment; it’s a warning. His far-left agenda—$9 billion in tax hikes, defunding the police, and government-run grocery stores—threatens to crush New York under socialist pipe dreams. New Yorkers need a mayor with real strength, whose patriotic grit and proven leadership can keep the Big Apple strong, not buckling under bad ideas.
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Nobody’s saying a mayor needs to be a bodybuilding champ. But when Mamdani couldn’t handle a measly 135 pounds without a spotter clinging to the bar like it’s a sinking ship, it became a viral symbol of his weakness. X lit up with mockery—Riley Gaines showed off her 165-pound bench press, and Mayor Eric Adams jabbed that Mamdani’s only good at “lifting taxes.” Ouch. One supporter tried to spin it on X, saying, “Bench press ain’t everything, homie.” Sure, but when you’re running to lead America’s toughest city, folding under a barbell doesn’t scream “I’ve got this.” It’s a preview of a candidate who’s all talk, no muscle—both in the gym and at City Hall.
Mamdani’s platform reads like a socialist fever dream. He wants to slap a $9 billion tax hike on millionaires and businesses to bankroll fare-free buses, free childcare, and $65 million for transgender care—noble on paper, but a one-way ticket to driving jobs and wealth out of NYC. City-owned grocery stores? Good luck getting fresh apples from government bureaucrats. And then there’s his push to defund the NYPD while vowing to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits the city. Rather than leadership, this is a recipe for chaos. New Yorkers are already wrestling with sky-high costs—Mamdani’s answer is to pile on more taxes and weaken public safety. If his bench press is any clue, he’s not strong enough to carry the city through tough times
There are far better alternatives, such as Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, the Guardian Angels founder who’s patrolled the streets, protecting New Yorkers with nothing but courage and conviction. Unlike Mamdani, whose “silver spoon” upbringing (as Adams put it) fuels his ivory-tower policies, Sliwa’s a blue-collar patriot who knows the city’s heartbeat. His platform—tough on crime, pro-business, and laser-focused on affordability—echoes the strength of leaders like Rudy Giuliani, who guided NYC through crisis. While Mamdani needs a spotter for a barbell, Sliwa’s been carrying the weight of public safety since the Guardian Angels began. He’s the type of New York muscle New York needs to stay great, not a lightweight dreamer who collapses under pressure.
Look, I’m not saying a mayor needs to be a gym rat. But Zohran Mamdani’s viral bench press flop is a wake-up call. His policies are as shaky as his lift, threatening to bury New Yorkers under taxes and weaken New York City’s inner core like a bad apple. This November, New York has a choice: Let's hope they make the right one.
Editor’s Note: Zohran Mamdani is an avowed Democratic Socialist and has a real chance to become the next mayor of New York City.
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