Obsessive and grudge-holding: The truth about Mamdani behind the scenes revealed
According to testimonies from dozens of political figures and various advisors, the mayor of New York emerges as a thin-skinned person who is extremely sensitive to public criticism and is primarily preoccupied with his public image.
New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani carefully cultivates an image of a smiling, calm, and unflappable politician on social media. However, a new and comprehensive investigation by the "New York Post" reveals a completely different picture behind the scenes. According to testimonies from dozens of political figures and advisors close to the mayor's office, Mamdani emerges as a thin-skinned person who is extremely sensitive to public criticism, prone to holding grudges, and often acts out of an obsession with his media coverage and public image.
The gap between the image and reality is particularly striking in light of the viral success of the 34-year-old Mamdani. Someone who went from a relatively unknown state legislator in 2025 to mayor on behalf of the Democratic Socialists of America organization, currently holds 11.9 million followers on Instagram and 3.5 million on TikTok. To maintain this media machine, upon taking office he funneled 53 million dollars into establishing the "Office of Mass Engagement," which critics claim functions as a propaganda arm of the mayor's office. Associates noted that his mobile phone is his "security blanket," and he draws encouragement from the amount of likes he receives on every post. In this context, it should be noted that the "Jerusalem Post" revealed yesterday the mayor's bot army operated from an IP address associated with the New York City mayor's office.
A significant boiling point was recorded recently around an issue directly concerning Israel and the Jewish community. After an antisemitic stabbing attack on the Upper West Side, Jewish leaders in the city called on Mamdani to moderate his anti-Israel rhetoric, which they claim "fuels the fire of hatred." This call came a few days after the mayor published a video in which he called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "war criminal," a video that garnered no less than 100 million views across the web. Sources who spoke with the "New York Post" revealed that an enraged Mamdani personally called at least one elected official who participated in the Jewish leaders' press conference and complained bitterly that they linked his words against Israel to the shocking attack.
Zoran Mamdani and Donald Trump (Photo: The White House)
In addition, reports indicate that the mayor is prone to holding grudges and treating his political rivals with demonstrated coldness. He regularly ignores text messages from political figures, unless a negative article about him is published in the media, then he rushes to respond and try to put out fires. For example, Mamdani recently tried unsuccessfully to pressure Queens Borough President Donovan Richards to remove a critical tweet against him. Last week, the mayor recorded another embarrassing incident when he sat enraged and silent after he was prevented from delivering a eulogy at the funeral of a US Army soldier in Queens.
Despite the sharp criticism, there were individual figures who noted positively the fact that Mamdani demonstrates humility when he learns subjects he is not proficient in, and tends to "listen more than talk" in closed rooms. However, it seems that the bottom line was well summarized by Fabian Levy, former spokesperson for Eric Adams, who noted cynically: "This administration is on X, Instagram, or TikTok more than any other politician in the country. But as Eric Adams said – what matters is not what happens in tweets, but what happens in the streets."
