It may not move the needle much this close to Election Day, but Zohran Mamdani’s laughably weak performance in the second mayoral debate exposed the Democratic nominee as an empty suit with a phony grin and his agenda as a tissue-thin wish list.
He was visibly sweating from the start, and for good reason.
He betrayed his fantasy-world grasp of national politics by insisting that legalizing street vending would box in President Donald Trump and ICE by taking away their rationale for such actions as Tuesday’s Canal Street raid.
Sorry, Zo — the federal government can’t be kept out of New York City, no matter how many sanctuary-style laws the City Council passes.
You should check the little something called the Supremacy Clause before they swear you in.
Mamdani also displayed his ignorance of housing and economics by repeating his claim that rent-stabilized landlords saw 12% growth in “profit” last year.
No: That reflects average growth in net operating income, which excludes costs such as taxes and interest payments and isn’t adjusted for inflation.
And a simple question about his stance on three housing-related amendments on the November ballot brought a complete deer-in-the-headlights moment.
He gave one of those gabby non-answer answers that work fine on TikTok, at rallies or as a reply to pliant reporters, saying he was glad the questions are coming before the voters.
Pressed to respond, he froze, his smarmy grin plastered to his sweaty face, finally confessing he wasn’t going to answer.
This was a telling crack in the glass-smooth Mamdani façade: The guy who effortlessly spins off rehearsed phrases was wrong-footed, and it showed. He was rattled.
For the second debate in a row, his answers on education were a concerto of confusion: The most expensive school system in the country needs to be “fully funded,” he blurbled; he wants to give up control of the schools while retaining “responsibility.”
Mamdani demands that Rikers close by 2027, as “required by law,” but couldn’t explain what he’d do when the new jails simply aren’t ready by then.
Here’s where we see how inexperienced this mayoral aspirant really is.
Legislators have the luxury of banging on podiums and saying situations are “unacceptable.”
But executives have to manage the hard realities of labor, materials, costs and community opposition.
Just because something is “the law” doesn’t mean it magically happens. It has to be done.
And it’s not clear that Zohran Mamdani has the chops to do anything.
Well, yes: He’s run a successful, slick campaign.
But putting an empty suit with a permagrin in charge of the greatest city in the world would be an enormous mistake.