New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani struggled to lift a 135-pound barbell during an event in the city.
Mamdani, 33, took the political scene by surprise when he won against Andrew Cuomo to secure the Democratic nomination for New York City Mayor, advocating for far-left policies and stirring debate with his anti-Israel stance.
On Saturday, the mayoral candidate was spotted attending the annual Men’s Day open streets event in Brooklyn.
Video shared on social media showed Mamdani was unable to lift a 135-pound barbell without assistance.
Sporting a white collared shirt with long sleeves, along with black slacks and dress shoes, Mamdani received enthusiastic cheers from the crowd as he took position on the weightlifting bench.
‘This is how you move up in the polls,’ one onlooker shouted, encouraging the 33-year-old to lift the weight.
However, as he went to bench press the weight, Mamdani’s spotter never let go of the bar.
After two repetitions, the mayoral frontrunner stopped, got off the bench, thanked his spotter and left.
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, 33, seemingly struggled to bench a 135-pound weight
As he went to bench press the weight, Mamdani’s spotter never let go of the bar, sparking ridicule online
The footage sparked ridicule online, including from his political rival, Mayor Eric Adams.
’64 vs. 33. A lifetime of hard work vs. a silver spoon. The results speak for themselves,’ Adams said.
‘The weight of the job is too heavy for “Mamscrawny.” The only thing he can lift is your taxes.’
‘Zohran out here preaching revolution but can’t even bench 95lbs; bro’s strongest lift is raising your taxes,’ another person said.
Another individual commented, ‘The left’s, often leaning toward a communist vibe, trying to appear masculine is quite absurd. It tends to have the opposite effect, though they seemingly don’t realize or mind. It’s both shameless and amusing. Quite a rare combination. I hope they continue.’
Others came to his defense, emphasizing that running for office has nothing to do with a person’s capabilities in the gym.
‘Public service should be about policy and integrity, not proving strength in a gym setting,’ one person said.
‘Bench press ain’t everything, homie. Mamdani’s still got mad game,’ said a second.
Mamdani made headlines when he overcame Andrew Cuomo to clinch the Democratic nomination for New York City Mayor, campaigning on far-left policies.
Mamdani has campaigned on a series of woke policies that would drastically reshape the City that Never Sleeps.
He has declared intentions to hike taxes on millionaires and corporations by $9 billion to fund his initiatives such as fare-free public buses, free child care, and housing support.
Currently a member of the New York State Legislature, Mamdani also aims to allocate $65 million towards transgender healthcare and has advocated for populist measures like city-owned grocery stores.
Additionally, the controversial figure has advocated for defunding the city’s police department – but vowed to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he were to set foot in the Big Apple.
His main opponents in the general will be former governor Andrew Cuomo and current mayor Eric Adams, both of whom are running as independents. Former US Attorney Jim Walden and Curtis Sliwa, the perennial Republican option, are also in the race.
Mamdani recently received some backlash for his extravagant wedding at his wealthy parents million-dollar compound in Uganda.
While he was in Uganda, his horrific anti-NYPD tweet reemerged in the wake of the Midtown mass shooting where four people were killed, including NYPD officer Didarul Islam, 36.
