Flagrant Podcast: Zohran Mamdani on Freezing Rent, Making NYC Affordable Again & Who’s Really Stopping Him

Date: October 22, 2025
Hosts: Andrew Schulz, Akaash Singh, AlexxMedia, Mark Gagnon
Guest: Zohran Mamdani (NYC Assembly Member, Mayoral Candidate)

Overview:

This episode features a lively and often hilarious conversation with New York State Assembly Member and NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. The hosts, alongside Mamdani, dissect the city’s affordability crisis, dive into housing policy (especially rent control and the rent freeze), confront the entrenched interests and political obstacles stymying change, and get candid about race, faith, and the realities of progressive politics in New York. The tone balances policy depth, political inside baseball, and Flagrant’s trademark humor and irreverence.

Episode Breakdown

1. Introduction & Setting the Stage

Theme: The Need for Genuine Political Change

• The hosts joke about the “next mayor of NYC” (00:57), praising Mamdani’s campaign for focusing on substantive issues, not just opposition:

  “If you talk about the issues people care about and say that you're going to do something about it, they will support you. What a fucking crazy idea.”
  — David (02:10)

• Discussion quickly focuses on why mainstream Democrats have lost connection with everyday New Yorkers, and how Mamdani channels hope and change, reminiscent of past transformative campaigns.

  “There's been a lot of lecturing and not much listening.”
  — Zohran (02:30)

2. Understanding NYC’s Housing Crisis

Theme: Cost of Living & Rent Explosion

• The hosts highlight the surge in rent (90% increase for a two-bedroom in six years — 04:42) and its effect on every aspect of NYC life.

• Mamdani underscores how this crisis cuts across class and communities, motivating unlikely Trump voters in immigrant neighborhoods:

  “The swing was actually in the heart of immigrant New York... it just came back to cost of living. Cost of living. Cost of living.”
  — Zohran (02:53)

• Real stories: Nurses and workers commuting hours from outside the city (05:21).

3. Policy Constraints: Albany vs. NYC

Theme: The Levers of Power Are Upstate

• Mamdani explains NYC is fundamentally subject to the state’s will. Any ambition on rent or revenue (e.g., taxing the rich) goes through Albany.

  “New York City continues to be a creature of the state... if you have an ambition... you have to have an Albany agenda.”
  — Zohran (06:45)

• He details the importance of alliances with the governor and legislative leaders—essential for funding and enacting transformative proposals like universal childcare and public transit. (07:27-09:10)

4. Political Obstacles: Special Interests and Status Quo

Theme: Who’s Really Stopping Change?

• Hosts grill Mamdani on confronting powerful special interests and the entrenched patronage system in NYC government:

  “You have to be ready to take on these fights. You cannot be naive.”
  — Zohran (11:26)

• Example: Department of Education spends $10B on contracts/consultants out of a $40B budget—many protecting their own contracts.

• Consultants siphoning funds with projects like the Second Avenue subway (more spent on consultants than construction!) (13:16):

  “McKinsey's not gonna be happy when I say we don't need you to design that anymore.”
  — Zohran (12:30)

5. Efficiency Isn’t a Left/Right Issue

Theme: Reclaiming Efficient Government as Progressive

• Mamdani pushes back on the idea that “efficiency fraud” is a right-wing concept:

  “It is sad that we've let someone like Elon Musk take the words ‘efficiency, fraud’ as if they are right wing concerns. These should be at the heart of progressive politics.”
  — Zohran (16:14)

6. The Rent Freeze & Affordability — Details and Limits

Theme: How Much Relief Can Be Delivered?

• The “rent freeze" is effective but reaches only about 50% of apartments (18:38).

• Breakdown of rent stabilization vs. rent control; responsibility of the mayoral-appointed Rent Guidelines Board (19:16).

• Notable Quote:

  “About two and a half million New Yorkers live in these kinds of apartments.”
  — Zohran (18:41)

• The other 50% live in market rate units—still working class, not wealthy.

• There's a pressing need for both rent relief AND constructing 200,000 truly affordable homes, which means recalibrating “affordable” based on real NYC incomes, not inflated AMIs. (20:17)

7. Regulatory Reform and Private Sector Role

Theme: Balancing Public Good, Regulation & Market Incentives

• Mamdani supports regulatory streamlining:

  "If I can't give you the reason for the regulation, then it has no reason to exist."
  — Zohran (20:51)

• Examples: Pointless fines (e.g. $25 annually for selling frozen dessert), endless bureaucratic hurdles for simple businesses (barbershops — 21:00).

• However, points out regulations still have important roles, e.g. for safe and appropriate renovations (21:35).

8. Tackling Insurance and Property Taxes for Landlords

Theme: Making “Freeze” Sustainable

• Rising insurance and the punitive property tax system are major structural forces pushing rents up — not just landlord greed.
• Mamdani proposes risk-pooling measures, city investment, and property tax reforms as crucial relief for both tenants AND “good” landlords (22:42–24:00).

9. Housing Incentives — The Complexity of Programs (24:14–26:01)

• The convoluted landscape of policy acronyms (421a, 485x, HSTPA) is confusing even to politicians—much less the public!
• “City of Yes” seeks to streamline zoning and allow, perhaps, 90,000 units—but it’s not enough.

10. Zombie/Empty Apartments: Policy Unintended Consequences

Theme: Protecting Renters vs. Perversions

• The 2019 HSTPA aimed to end tenant harassment and the “vacancy bonus” system but may have contributed to landlords letting apartments sit vacant (“zombie apts”) rather than rent below market.

  “Sometimes protecting real issues can cause other ones that are unintended.”
  — David (30:14)

• Proposed: rigorous study and accountability for major landlords, especially those leaving units empty (30:35–31:35).

11. Housing as Human Right vs. Asset

Theme: Conflicting Visions (philosophical core of the episode)

• The hosts push on the tension between real estate as investment for families vs. as a basic right.
• Mamdani stresses universality — not enemies of property owners, but protecting everyone’s stake in the city (41:12):

  “How do we create a city where we understand housing as a human right and also ensure that our affordability agenda is universal — tenants, homeowners, landlords?”

12. Big Ambitions, Albany Realities, and Political Will

Theme: Will Albany Actually Let NYC Transform?

• Raising NYC’s debt cap to issue bonds for affordable construction is legally necessary—requires state cooperation.

  “Politicians don't get to decide the scale of the crisis—they get to decide how they respond.”
  — Zohran (42:58)

• Past inaction is seen as a lack of political will, not public appetite:

  “It's not going to be easy, but my point is we haven't even tried.”
  — Zohran (43:31)

13. The Democratic Party’s Inner Civil War

Theme: Establishment vs. Progressive Challenge

• The party elite hasn't united behind Mamdani; questions raised about Schumer/Jeffries endorsements.

• Parallels drawn to “Bernie being undermined.”

  “It's a battle for the soul of the Democratic Party... Two very different visions. And things we like to say are exclusively Republican problems, we saw a lot of them in the Democratic primary.”
  — Zohran (66:29)

• Notable stories of being targeted with racially charged mailers and underhanded tactics from Democrats.

14. Race, Faith, and Being a Muslim Mayoral Candidate

Theme: Prejudice and Dog Whistles in NYC Politics

• Akaash and Zohran candidly acknowledge the added scrutiny and bigotry he faces as a Muslim candidate outspoken about Palestinian rights.

  “There are a number of things (Cuomo) has said and done he would not have done if I weren't a Muslim candidate... There are so many Jewish New Yorkers who are able to see through that.”
  — Zohran (68:03)

15. The Pressure, the Experiment, and Genuine Hope

Theme: The Stakes of Transformation

• Mamdani acknowledges the immense pressure — that if his ambitious policies don’t succeed, it could set the national tone against bold progressive governance:

  “You are a test for all of America. You are a case study... and if you promise all these things and deliver 40%... people will look at you nationwide, maybe worldwide, and say, you know what, that didn’t work.”
  — Akash (49:45)

• But sees it as an unparalleled opportunity to restore public imagination and faith in government:

  “There's also an immense opportunity in fulfilling this agenda. You make it clear that politics can be more than just choosing between now and worse than now.”
  — Zohran (58:24)

16. Delivering Fresh Wins: Why Small Victories Are Big

Theme: Building Political Imagination

• Tells story of the first day of free buses, with a nurse dancing when realizing she didn’t have to pay (59:56):

  “For the first time in a long time, government actually looked out for her... That’s what I see—every time we succeed, it builds the coalition even more for the next.”
  — Zohran

17. Open Endings and Last Thoughts

Theme: Can Progressive Government Earn Back Trust?

• Mamdani: “It's ambitious, but I’m confident.” Belief that progress is possible, that New Yorkers and Americans can once again trust in government if results are delivered (61:31–62:28).

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On Why People Are Swinging to Trump:
  “If I had spent that time lecturing them as to why they were wrong as opposed to listening to them as to how we could get right, then we would run a very different campaign.”
  — Zohran (03:22)

• On Affordability for Everyday Workers:
  “I spoke to a nurse who after her shift drives for an hour and a half, leaving the state of New York, to get where she can afford a place.”
  — Zohran (05:21)

• On Political Resistance:
  “You have to be ready to take on these fights. You cannot be naive.”
  — Zohran (11:26)

• On Reclaiming Government Efficiency:
  “Efficiency should be at the heart of progressive politics... I want those same New Yorkers to look at that increased revenue and say every single one of these dollars is spent efficiently.”
  — Zohran (16:27)

• On Limits of the Rent Freeze:
  “About two and a half million New Yorkers live in these kinds of apartments.”
  — Zohran (18:41)

• On Regulations and Building:
  "If I can't give you the reason for the regulation, then it has no reason to exist."
  — Zohran (20:51)

• On Political Imagination and Hope:
  “Every time we succeed, it builds the coalition even more for the next.”
  — Zohran (59:56)

Memorable Moments & Humor

• The hosts riffing about “white people forced to live in the outer boroughs” and subway expansion (“Why are you trying to build more white people subways, man?” – 13:57).
• Frequent, self-aware jokes about socialism, communism, and “status quo” defenders having their own armies (“Let’s take a break from this communist trash…” – 32:17).
• Mamdani’s origin story—family expelled from Uganda and then returning after Idi Amin, with the hosts poking fun at how “shitty” London must have been to drive them back (52:12–53:19).
• Ongoing banter about political ambition vs. authenticity:

  “I actually trust you more because you’re not born in America... You cannot be president. So I trust your incentives more. – Akash (50:19)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Cost of Living Drives Trump Voters: 02:53–05:41
• Albany vs. NYC Power Structure: 06:32–09:10
• Special Interests and Consulting Waste: 11:26–12:53
• Rent Freeze Policy – Who’s Affected?: 18:38–20:31
• Streamlining Regulations Explained: 20:51–21:35
• “Zombie apartments” & Uncollected Fines: 29:26–31:21
• Raise Debt Ceiling – Albany’s Role: 42:47–43:31
• Democratic Party Tensions & Race Issues: 66:29–68:03
• Pressure, Faith in Government, and Policy as a Test Case: 58:16–62:28

Final Takeaways

• Zohran Mamdani’s candidacy is a referendum on whether bold progressive governance can overcome New York’s affordability crisis—or if the system and status quo will prevail.
• He’s both self-assured and humble about the obstacles, pledging to course-correct if new policies don’t deliver.
• The episode leaves listeners with a clear sense of the stakes—not just for NYC, but for progressive politics nationwide—and peppers deep policy with continual humor and a “great hang” energy.

For the full flavor, energy, and wild tangents, check out the episode in full—just skip the ad breaks!