Fresh off his appearance at a South Bronx childcare center with former President Barack Obama, Mayor Zohran Mamdani made another high-profile appearance in the borough, this time at the Bronx Children’s Museum for an April 24 MS NOW town hall about his 100 days in office.
For “All In America: Mayor Mamdani,” hosted by Bronx native MS NOW commentator Chris Hayes, Mamdani took questions from supporters, skeptics and those who consider themselves Trump supporters and/or Republicans.
“We were so honored to welcome Mayor Mamdani to the Museum for the first time as part of the recording — an exciting moment of recognition for our organization and the Bronx community,” a museum spokesperson said in a statement.
The broadcast proved Mamdani’s local and national prominence as he marked his 100th day in office earlier this month. All eyes are on him as he begins to address the city’s affordability crisis, with implications for his brand of “pothole politics” across the country.
Mamdani, who has held at least two friendly-seeming meetings with President Donald Trump, said on the broadcast that while he and Trump find common ground as New Yorkers, “The president knows exactly where I stand,” he said.
“My relationship with the President is important to deliver for New Yorkers,” Mamdani said.
At the same time, he said on the program that ICE, as a relatively new agency, “should be abolished.”
“Our country has had answers to immigration long before we had ICE,” Mamdani said.
Hayes welcomed New Yorkers to the mic to question the mayor about childcare, housing, city-run supermarkets, taxing the wealthy and more.
One attendee was Sarah Bediako, whose daughter attends the South Bronx school that Obama and Mamdani recently visited as part of his push for expanded free childcare in the city.
Bediako said she loves the program and feels “safe and comfortable” with her daughter there – but lamented having to leave the workforce before finding that option.
Of her daughter’s school, Bediako said, “I wish that we had it for 2-K because I had to stay home for almost two years to care for her, because childcare was so expensive” — at least $1,000 a week.
Much of the town hall focused on the kinds of affordability concerns Bediako’s family experienced.
With a new report stating that one-quarter of New York City residents can’t afford essentials such as food, rent and medical care, Mamdani faces sky-high expectations to deliver on his affordability campaign promises, including a rent freeze for rent-stabilized tenants, cheaper childcare and groceries and more.
Mamdani also spoke about his first foray into raising taxes on the wealthy — a pied-à-terre tax on homeowners who have multimillion-dollar residences in New York City while primarily living elsewhere.
Hayes said the city is seeing a concerning divide between the rich and poor that is hurting its vibrancy.
“[If] it keeps going in that direction of a city of like Wall Street folks and billionaires and folks that are just like making minimum wage, that’s a tough city to sustain,” he said.
When it comes to sustaining high-quality public services that make the city attractive to people worldwide, the mayor said that New York City’s greatness needs to be earned, not assumed.
“None of us should rest on our laurels,” he said. “We have to win the trust of New Yorkers by what we’re delivering for them — not just tell them, ‘Trust me, this is as good as it can be.’”
As Mamdani faces tough questions on everything from high gas prices to housing costs to the terrible start to the Mets’ season, he pledged not to automatically pass the blame to Trump or any other elected official or government branch.
“New Yorkers don’t have time for the technical differences between what government sector is responsible for what thing,” he said. “They want to know, what are you going to do about it?”
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
