Zoran Mamdani (2:03)

Zoran, how's it going?

Griffin (2:04)

How you doing, man?

Zoran Mamdani (2:05)

Doing well, man. It's a great shirt by the way.

Griffin (2:06)

Oh, thanks, man. I had to buy it because the airline lost my luggage on the way here.

Zoran Mamdani (2:10)

Well, we're not giving them a shout out.

Griffin (2:11)

This is for you, this shirt. I wanted to start with a picture. We interviewed you a year ago. It's been a long time since then, man. A lot's changed. What advice do you have for that young zoron?

Zoran Mamdani (2:24)

A year ago, what date was that?

Griffin (2:28)

This. I mean, it says 11 months ago and we got. We used to get like 30k views on the first one. Now. Now we're racking them up now it's up there.

Zoran Mamdani (2:35)

You know the reason I ask about the Data is because about a year ago we went out to Fordham Road and Hillside Avenue, spoke to New Yorkers, many of whom had voted for Trump, and we asked them why. And I think the advice that I would give that Zoran, I would continue to give myself every day is listen to New Yorkers. And a lot of times the political impulse is lecture, tell New Yorkers what they should care about. What we found is that the best campaign you can build is one that actually reflects what New Yorkers are concerned about. It's cost of living again and again. The other thing I would say is maybe bench press a little bit more, but it's too late for that.

Griffin (3:10)

All right, we're going to cut the push up contest.

Zoran Mamdani (3:12)

All right.

Griffin (3:13)

So you recently released a video about being Muslim in New York City and the experience of that. Typically, when you've been asked about identity issues, you've pivoted back to your core campaign promises about affordability. Why, why do that video now? And do you feel like Democrat politicians have your back in this environment where, you know, in my personal opinion, the Cuomo opposition and the Cuomo supporters are hitting you with a lot of what I would say is George W. Bush era racist attacks. Do you feel like they have your back?

Zoran Mamdani (3:40)

You know, I've appreciated the words of support that I've received from a number of leaders within our party, especially here in New York City. I do think, however, that of, of many of the Muslim New Yorkers who do not have the luxury of being the Democratic nominee for mayor, who deal with these indignities every single day. And the fact is that this racism is so endemic in our city's politics that when one hears it, one does not know if it's from a Republican or a Democrat. And it's, you know, people have, have, have asked me why did I call it Islamophobia? And I just tell them what Andrew Cuomo said because the evidence is right there. This is a man who went on a radio show and when the host said that I would cheer another 9 11, Andrew Cuomo laughed and agreed. He later went that same day to accept Eric Adams endorsement. Adams said that he was endorsing him to stop a movement of violent extremists, to stop New York City from becoming Europe, to stop a movement that was burning churches in Nigeria. This is the kind of Islamophobia that is the closing message of these other candidates. And the reason I decided to say something about it is because this level of bigotry, it's one that should still shock the conscience despite how unsurprising it may be in this moment.

Griffin (4:46)

So freeze the rent. Let's talk about some of the core stuff. So we've been hearing talk that Eric Adams is trying to pack the rental board with people on your way out. Like a reality TV real estate guy is getting on there.

Zoran Mamdani (4:56)

Yeah, I think she stars in a show called Selling New York. Very on the nose. Incredible Eric Adams bio.

Griffin (5:01)

What are you going to do about that if you're mayor? And also, how are you going to stop landlords from, you know, cutting back on cleaning or safety in the buildings if you freeze the rent?

Zoran Mamdani (5:11)

You know, I think there's a few things. The first is the Community Service Society, which does incredible studies. They found that actually the rent that's being paid doesn't have a significant relationship with the repairs that landlords are doing oftentimes, and I've heard this actually from a number of tenants myself of that they've been paying their rent year after year and a lot of their landlords are actually denying them the repairs that they're owed. And so I think when we freeze the rent, you know, we are doing so to provide relief to more than 2 million rent stabilized tenants across the five boroughs. We're not doing it actually to punish landlords because we're actually trying to also make it easier for those landlords to maintain those properties by helping them take on the rising cost of insurance or the water bill or Con Edison. These are things we can do in tandem with our commitment to freeze the rent. And look, Eric Adams's attempt to stack the Rent Guidelines Board is unacceptable. It's a betrayal of New Yorkers. It's also a continuation of this politics for the last four years. And I continue to be confident in our ability to deliver that rent freeze.

Griffin (6:05)

As a renter in New York, I feel betrayed by that, by the, by the Eric Adams thing, not what you just said. I want to talk about ice. We're seeing all these ICE videos of goons unmasked people taking people off the streets. Are you going to instruct the NYPD to arrest ICE or other federal agents that break the law in the city?

Zoran Mamdani (6:20)

Look, anybody who breaks the law in this city has to be held to account, whether that's ICE or whomever else. And I think that that should be just the standard that we have in this city and in this country. And what we found is that ICE is a reckless entity. It cares little about the law. It cares even less about the people that it's supposed to serve. And so much of its Purpose is to intimidate and terrorize people across this country. And we saw that with the recent raid on Canal Street. It's not just about the people that they threw against the wall. It's about the message they're trying to send to New Yorkers that they can do this kind of a thing. And it's possible for them in this moment because they have a mayor who went on national TV to open the door to civil immigration enforcement.

Griffin (6:54)

All right, I wanna talk flagrant. In the first couple minutes of flagrant, you got Schultz to say that housing is a human right. That's awesome. You clearly passed the vibe check. Do other Democrats pass the vibe check? What's your advice for them going on these shows?

Zoran Mamdani (7:06)

You know, I think it's funny. I've been running for mayor for now more than a year, and that's probably the first podcast that a lot of my own friends actually listen to that I did. And I think it speaks to the fact that you have to treat, you know, New Yorkers, especially young New Yorkers, with legitimacy, as well as the places where they actually get their news. And so often there's a condescension in our political approach to anything that goes beyond traditional media, and I think it's time to bring that to an end. My advice to anyone going on those shows is just to be yourself, because if you're not, they will. They will definitely get to the bottom of that pretty quick.

Griffin (7:35)

Okay, I got one more question for you, and then I want to hear about the proposals and how people can help you.

Zoran Mamdani (7:39)

Sounds good.

Griffin (7:40)

So we talked about the nypd we're going to. And your team's telling you, wrap up. We'll keep this quick. Are you going to arrest Netanyahu? Especially with this NYPD commissioner?

Zoran Mamdani (7:49)

Look, I've said time and again that I believe that New York City is a city that believes international law should have an actual embodiment of that international law. Benjamin Netanyahu has been issued an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court. And I believe that that is something that we should seek to honor. I've also said that I will exhaust every legal possibility to do so. If there is not a law, I'm not going to create one because I'm not Donald Trump. But this is what I would actually be looking to do.

Griffin (8:13)

So, last question. You know, they've got a few days, but six days, five days. What can people do to help you in this time? We have a national audience. So what can our national audience do to help you at this moment? And let's roll through the right we're freezing the rent. Universal child care we're going to freeze the rent.

Zoran Mamdani (8:26)

Going to make buses faster for you. Deliver universal childcare. And the way that you can get involved is go to zahranfornyc.com GOTV if you live in New York City, you can sign up for a canvassing shift. If you don't, you can sign up for phone banking. Because the reason I'm sitting in front of you, it's not just the 1.6 million doors that volunteers knocked on in the primary, it's the 2.1 million phone calls that they also made. And that can be done from anywhere across this country.

Griffin (8:46)

Zoran, good luck.

Zoran Mamdani (8:47)

Thank you my friend. Thank you. Appreciate it.

LifeLock Advertiser (8:51)

It's CyberSecurity Awareness Month. LifeLock is here with tips to help protect your identity. Use strong passwords, set up multi factor authentication, report scams and update your software. And for comprehensive identity protection, LifeLock is your best choice. LifeLock alerts you to suspicious uses of your personal information and fixes identity the theft guaranteed or your money back. Start your protection today with a 30 day free trial at LifeLock.com use promo code NEWS terms apply.

PayPal Advertiser (9:21)

Ah, greetings from my bath festive friends. The holidays are overwhelming, but I'm tackling this season with PayPal and making the most of my money. Getting 5% cash back when I pay in 4. No fees, no interest. I used it to get this portable spot with jets. Now the bubbles can cling to my sculpted but pruny body. Make the most of your money this holiday with PayPal. Save the offer in the app ends 1231.

Griffin (9:45)

See paypal.com promoter points can be redeemed for cash and more paying for subject to terms and approval. PayPal Inc. And MLS 910457.

Nintendo Advertiser (9:53)

Get ready to power up your play with Nintendo Switch 2. Power up the visuals with 4K support and a bigger, more vivid screen. Power up the fun with exclusive new games like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong bonanza. Nintendo Switch 2 altogether, anytime anywhere games rated E to E10 plus games and systems sold separately. Compatible TV required for 4K display.

Podcast Host (10:21)

This is an I Heart podcast.