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Adam Friedland
What is like, what is it like? Like you're like. You go to the, you go to the White House, right. You take a selfie on a plane.
Zoran Mamdani
Yeah.
Adam Friedland
No caption. That is like Drake vibes a little bit.
Zoran Mamdani
Hit the emoji though.
Adam Friedland
You hit the emoji.
Zoran Mamdani
You know where I was going to play.
Adam Friedland
What do you think? Like, what's the game plan there?
Zoran Mamdani
Honestly, I knocked out on the plane.
Adam Friedland
I mean you looked like. You looked a little bit like. That was the joke on the Internet. I look a little bit like you took the edit. You hit nothing.
Zoran Mamdani
You can say it.
Adam Friedland
You look a little bit like you hit the edible before the flight.
Zoran Mamdani
Why would you know it's 30 minutes?
Adam Friedland
I'm sorry, Mr. Bay, I. I don't know.
Podcast Announcer/Host
Hello and welcome to a very special episode of the Adam Friedland Show. I'm Adam Friedland. Because this is such a special episode, we've decided to release this episode to the public two days early. Additionally, we've got to give the boys some time off for Thanksgiving. I'm such a good guy.
Adam Friedland
Wow.
Podcast Announcer/Host
Also, we don't want to leave our members and patrons hanging. So starting next week we will be commencing a weekly members only stream, State of the tafs. Is that what the name is?
Adam Friedland
Sure. Okay.
Podcast Announcer/Host
It's called State of the Taps where we will be taking. But it's the Adam Friedland show. So State of the. The Taps. State of Taps. State of the Taps. State of the Adam Freeland show. Okay, well let's stick with state of the TAFs.
Zoran Mamdani
Okay.
Podcast Announcer/Host
So starting next week we will be commencing with a weekly members only stream stream. It's called Sate of the Tafts where we'll be taking questions from members and patrons. So please, if you don't already support the Adam friedland show on YouTube or Patreon. There's links in the description. You guys are the ones that keep the show going. We are proudly member supported. Kind of like a social socialism vibes. My guest this week is Mayor elect of New York City and former striker of the Bronx Science Wolverines, Zoran Mandani. On Friday, my staff huddled around the office computer and we all watched the Mayor elect's historic press conference with President Donald Trump in the oval office. My 22 year old employee Zach tapped me on the shoulder. His voice was quivering, a tear was rolling down his cheek. I remember it clearly. He said, dad, I mean Adam, the man on the screen standing next to the President of the United States will be here in 36 hours time. But how do we get him off the computer and into the real world. I smiled and looked at him and said, if you can figure out how to do that, Zach, I'll give you a million fucking dollars. So please enjoy my conversation with Zoran Ramdani.
Zoran Mamdani
Everyone,
Podcast Announcer/Host
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Adam Friedland
Ladies and gentlemen, Mayor Elect, New York City. Zora Momdadi, everyone.
Zoran Mamdani
Elect elect.
Adam Friedland
Congratulations.
Zoran Mamdani
How's it going, man?
Ian
How you doing?
Adam Friedland
How you doing?
Zoran Mamdani
Good.
Adam Friedland
It's funny, like, when I met you, we just talked about sports.
Podcast Announcer/Host
I wasted your time, like four days before an election.
Zoran Mamdani
I thought it was great.
Adam Friedland
I know we talked about all of our collective pain.
Zoran Mamdani
Yeah.
Adam Friedland
The game's on right now. The North London Derby's on right now.
Zoran Mamdani
Three, zero, baby.
Adam Friedland
You said you've been too busy. You've been too busy running for mayor to watch the games this year. Now you're making me too busy to
Zoran Mamdani
watch, but we'll get an Update if it's 4.
Adam Friedland
Oh, shit. This is unprofessional.
Zoran Mamdani
I thought I, I got a.
Adam Friedland
Someone text me. Oh, shit. You need to see this. Oh, no, guys
Ian
is around. How you doing, Ian?
Adam Friedland
Right here.
Podcast Announcer/Host
What?
Ian
I just want to say a massive, massive congratulations on what you've achieved. The real work now starts now. But God willing, you can achieve everything that you have.
Zoran Mamdani
I love you.
Ian
To achieve, you're going to need some of that.
Zoran Mamdani
How did you do this?
Ian
Winning energy that you've got, my friend. And get behind the boys. It's a long way to go.
Adam Friedland
I'm crying.
Ian
You just have to stay calm back Mikhail and all the boys up the Gunners, baby. Take it easy. And God bless my friend.
Adam Friedland
I, I, I just gotta take do this. My boy, my boy.
Zoran Mamdani
I'm just gonna watch it again.
Adam Friedland
Yeah, just watch it.
Ian
I just want to say a massive, massive congratulations.
Zoran Mamdani
I love this man.
Adam Friedland
He's the best guy of all time.
Zoran Mamdani
Have you seen the video where he is reunited with his teacher?
Adam Friedland
Mr. Pigeon, I thought you was dead. Okay, here's the problem, guys. I don't want to expose you. We. We. Yeah, just.
Zoran Mamdani
We.
Adam Friedland
It's crazy. I mean, right, right, right. Okay. How did I do that? I really, really bought something wrong. I, I know. Yeah, yeah. Mr. President. No, no, it's not a, it's not a no.
Zoran Mamdani
How did you do that?
Adam Friedland
I, I knew that it was gonna be.
Zoran Mamdani
I love him.
Adam Friedland
I love him so much. He's the best guy of all time. You know his background story, he was like, working in a factory. And then he tried again. He's like, I'm gonna try one more time. And then he, he went to Crystal Palace. He got it.
Zoran Mamdani
Like, these are like the stories I would read when I was 17 and on the B team of a travel team in New York City.
Adam Friedland
What did you play? What position did you play?
Zoran Mamdani
I played, I played up top.
Adam Friedland
Up top?
Zoran Mamdani
Yeah.
Adam Friedland
You were a nine.
Zoran Mamdani
I think I was 23.
Adam Friedland
Okay. But you were a striker.
Zoran Mamdani
Yes, yes. No relation to the number on the back of my jersey.
Adam Friedland
We have, like, a lot of our brain is occupied by the most useless information related to this, to this soccer game.
Zoran Mamdani
Every day I wake up, I think about Sebastian Squillacci.
Adam Friedland
Oh, my God.
Zoran Mamdani
Pascal Seguin. I think about Marwan Chamak.
Adam Friedland
Yeah, I caught you. Like, I'd be a little bit of a politician because I said that Auspicious
Podcast Announcer/Host
was giving me nightmares.
Adam Friedland
And you're like, jackson Heights is in the balance? Yeah.
Zoran Mamdani
It's like, lay off my Columbia culture for a moment.
Adam Friedland
No one cares.
Zoran Mamdani
No one cares.
Adam Friedland
We're embarrassing ourselves. Okay. You grew up in the Upper west side?
Zoran Mamdani
Yeah.
Adam Friedland
New York City, kid.
Zoran Mamdani
Yep. Yes, sir.
Adam Friedland
Yeah.
Zoran Mamdani
Where did you grow up?
Adam Friedland
Well, we actually. We both lived a little bit as kids in Cape Town. Yeah.
Zoran Mamdani
You lived in Cape Town?
Adam Friedland
Yeah. Where did you live? Observatory.
Zoran Mamdani
I lived in Oranjesecht.
Adam Friedland
That's where my mom grew up.
Zoran Mamdani
From 96 to 99, my mother grew up in.
Adam Friedland
Yeah. Both my parents are from Cape Town.
Zoran Mamdani
What?
Adam Friedland
I was born in la. My dad was on a list of some sort.
Zoran Mamdani
You gotta give me more than that.
Adam Friedland
My dad and mom both went to university in London. Were Jews from Cape Town. They met in South Africa. They met at home in Cape Town. They kept getting set up on blind dates. And she was like this fucking guy again. And then somehow he wore it down. And then they got married and he got a letter that he was being sent to Angola to the civil war. And so they left. They just.
Zoran Mamdani
When did they packed up and left?
Adam Friedland
82. So I was born in LA.
Zoran Mamdani
Okay. Have you been taken?
Adam Friedland
My dad was on an enemies list because of the apartheid regime. And so I was there when I was a kid and then I was there back. My graduates from Sea Point. None of the graduates left. And actually, are they still there?
Podcast Announcer/Host
Granny's still there.
Adam Friedland
94. She just got a hip. You want to send her a video?
Zoran Mamdani
Let's do it.
Adam Friedland
Hi, Granny.
Zoran Mamdani
Congrats on the hip. Congrats on the hip.
Adam Friedland
Congrats on the hip, Esther. Congrats on the hip. I promise I'm trying my best in life. No, she's very proud of me. I told her I have the mayor coming on.
Zoran Mamdani
No, no.
Adam Friedland
So, yeah, but Dima, actually, he was like. When I was a kid, I used to write my essays like, who's your hero? On. On my dba because it connected me to my parents. Because, like, it was like, yeah, yeah. But he went to our synagogue after he got out of jail, he was elected, and he was like, you gotta tell your kids to come back because we need everyone to build a country. And like, my parents whole generation of Jews.
Zoran Mamdani
So why are you not following Madiba right now?
Adam Friedland
Because I had to talk to you. And I got this studio and it's fucking. It's a lot. It's a lot.
Zoran Mamdani
Last time I went back was in 2010. 2010 for the world Cup.
Adam Friedland
Steve. Fucking the jabalala. Was it? What was it? Obnoxious Vuzilla? Yeah. Could you not hear anything?
Zoran Mamdani
You hate it if you're not the one doing it. And I was one of the people doing it.
Adam Friedland
You got one?
Zoran Mamdani
Yeah, I brought them back. I bought them back.
Adam Friedland
I bought one back in college. Yeah? Yeah.
Zoran Mamdani
I went to a D3 basketball game. My roommate was on the basketball team and I had the vuvuzela, I think I was at Bates College and I pulled it out and I blew it. And the ref stopped the game and he need to fucking stop.
Adam Friedland
Yeah, yeah. And you're like, come on. Didn't you see the World Cup? Did you see the ball that went in all different directions?
Zoran Mamdani
But I was at the Ghana, Uruguay game.
Podcast Announcer/Host
No.
Zoran Mamdani
That's where I cried in public. No. Yeah. Luis Suarez.
Adam Friedland
Asamoa Gyan. Dude.
Zoran Mamdani
Guys, this is the closest.
Adam Friedland
The mayor caring about soccer. The mayor caring about Arsenal is like Wakanda for me. It's like. I feel like it's like representation. Do you remember that tweet you're one of? I remember your tweet.
Zoran Mamdani
No, no, no. Not the. What is it? Ruth Konda Forever Ruth.
Adam Friedland
Oh, my God. Yeah. Like, when I met you, one thing that was like, remarkable is like we were talking about soccer and hip hop.
Zoran Mamdani
Yeah.
Adam Friedland
And I was like, we are losers. I was like. But I was like, we're the same.
Zoran Mamdani
Like, representation matters.
Adam Friedland
We're the same generation.
Zoran Mamdani
Right.
Adam Friedland
It dawned on me that my entire life, this kind of feels like the first time that someone from my generation has ascended to leadership. I guess Mayor Pete did, but he was more of a suck up to the parents. You're more of one of us. I think he couldn't laugh at that. Or he could laugh at that. Are you mad at me? She gets mad at me. She yells at me. Olivia, can you tell her a second? Anyway, give it up for Olivia. How to communicate. Why is everyone so nervous?
Zoran Mamdani
That's Monica. That's Amelia.
Adam Friedland
Oh, Amelia.
Zoran Mamdani
Sorry. That's Amelia.
Adam Friedland
Oh, sorry. Okay, cut that. Okay. How you. Yeah. You're mayoring people older than you. Are you getting unked?
Zoran Mamdani
Okay, can you explain to me, what does unk stand for?
Adam Friedland
Uncle.
Zoran Mamdani
Someone told me it stood for uncool. No, it's uncle.
Adam Friedland
It's uncle.
Zoran Mamdani
Alright.
Adam Friedland
You have old heads. Uncs and OGs.
Zoran Mamdani
Just wanted to make sure.
Adam Friedland
Yeah. You were unknown, like a year ago.
Zoran Mamdani
Yeah, I mean, even my friends didn't know what an assembly member was.
Adam Friedland
Yeah, I still don't know. And I don't want to know. In fact, I mean, you're perhaps one of the most famous people in America Right now. I mean, it's weird. Is it weird?
Ian
Yeah.
Adam Friedland
How have you adjusted to that?
Zoran Mamdani
I think I try and spend as much time as possible with people I knew before I was.
Adam Friedland
Yeah. The day ones.
Zoran Mamdani
The mayor elect.
Adam Friedland
Yeah.
Zoran Mamdani
And I think the nice thing about being an assembly member is I was still working in politics, but I was also walking around my neighborhood like anybody else. Yeah. I mean, I went to.
Adam Friedland
You went to the White House.
Zoran Mamdani
Okay, I went to the White House. I was gonna tell you I went to Duane Reade. But both of them are true.
Adam Friedland
Okay, let's start on the Dwayne Reid.
Zoran Mamdani
Okay.
Adam Friedland
Start on the Dwayne Reed.
Zoran Mamdani
We went in there, pick up some from the apartment. This guy in front of us has a pack of condoms and breath mints. And he turns around, he goes, Mr. Mayor. He looks at my wife, he goes, Mrs. Mayer. And that's our experience now at Duane Reade.
Adam Friedland
Yeah.
Zoran Mamdani
And that's life in Astoria.
Adam Friedland
Oh, the condoms had.
Zoran Mamdani
I don't know.
Adam Friedland
He was like, Mr. Mayor, I'm about to lose my virginity. Yeah.
Zoran Mamdani
He left it at that.
Adam Friedland
I would like you to know I'm about to become a man.
Zoran Mamdani
He just gave the titles.
Adam Friedland
What does this last year feel like and what has the adjustment been like? Like, I mean, it's.
Zoran Mamdani
It's. To be honest with you, I haven't spent all that much time reflecting on it. You should, because it's so go, go, go.
Adam Friedland
You should just work a lot. Have you checked the Reddit?
Zoran Mamdani
You sound like the inner voice.
Adam Friedland
Is there a zoron momdani Reddit?
Zoran Mamdani
I don't know. Is there?
Adam Friedland
Probably don't check it though.
Zoran Mamdani
No.
Adam Friedland
Yeah. Just don't read the comments.
Zoran Mamdani
I always forget to put the extra slash R when I'm like typing in the URL, so I don't even.
Adam Friedland
What is like, what is it like? Like, you're like. You go to the. You go to the White House. Right. You take a selfie on a plane.
Zoran Mamdani
Yeah.
Adam Friedland
No caption. That is like Drake vibes a little bit.
Zoran Mamdani
Hit the emoji, though.
Adam Friedland
You hit the emotion. You know, what do you think it like? You think like, what are you. What's the game plan there?
Zoran Mamdani
Honestly, I knocked out on the plane.
Adam Friedland
You slept.
Zoran Mamdani
Slept.
Adam Friedland
It's a 30 minute flight. I mean, you looked like. You looked a little bit like. That was the joke on the Internet. I don't know if I can make these jokes. You look a little bit like you took the edible. You hit nothing.
Zoran Mamdani
You can say it.
Adam Friedland
You look a little bit like you hit the Edible. Before the flight.
Zoran Mamdani
Why would you know?
Adam Friedland
It was 30 minutes. I'm sorry, Mr. May I. Why would you say that? I don't know. I apologize. You walk in like. Did he give you a tour of the White House?
Zoran Mamdani
He gave me a tour of.
Adam Friedland
What was the weirdest thing?
Zoran Mamdani
The Oval Office in the Cabinet Room. What's the thing?
Adam Friedland
He had to have shown me one thing. Weird.
Zoran Mamdani
I mean, he showed me the. Showed me the portraits of all the presidents in the Cabinet Room.
Adam Friedland
Yeah, he saved the FDR for you.
Zoran Mamdani
The FDR was beautiful.
Adam Friedland
It was really nice.
Zoran Mamdani
And we talked about FDR for a little bit, and honestly, you don't have the LaGuardia record if you don't have FDR. Yeah, but we talked about that. I walked in first. You get there, and it's just you alone, and there are two people guiding you through to get to the Oval Office. They're like. They want you to see this room and that room. And then I sit down waiting for the time of the meeting, and in front of me are all these different coffee table books. And one of them is UFC at the White House.
Adam Friedland
Oh, yeah. He's bringing it there, right?
Zoran Mamdani
I had no idea. But I was. Yeah. Flipping. Flipping through that.
Adam Friedland
Yeah. And so you saw, like, guys fighting each other?
Zoran Mamdani
No, it was just a.
Adam Friedland
What was it?
Zoran Mamdani
Visualization.
Adam Friedland
Oh, of the.
Zoran Mamdani
Of like, what the.
Adam Friedland
Yeah, the octagon is.
Zoran Mamdani
Yeah. It's gonna look like.
Adam Friedland
Are you gonna go?
Zoran Mamdani
No.
Adam Friedland
Can I ask you a question?
Zoran Mamdani
Like, how did you not laugh when the 130.
Adam Friedland
How did you keep the face? When? During the press conference. Oh, because we was. We were all dying, and I'm like. My boy Zoron was like, just straight face. He said, just tell him yes. Yeah. How did you keep that face?
Zoran Mamdani
Honestly, I was just thinking about New York City.
Adam Friedland
Yeah.
Zoran Mamdani
I mean, it's like the whole time I was. I was trying to think about the difference between if you have a White House that is working towards an affordability agenda or one that's making it harder to live in the city. City.
Adam Friedland
Yeah.
Zoran Mamdani
That's kind of what kept.
Adam Friedland
Do you feel like. Do you feel like, as if, you know, the President sees your popularity? You know, he loves the ratings. Ton of reporters. He sees. He's, I think, handsome. I think he thought handsome. Did you have eyes up here, Mr. President? You were elected because you were trusted on your policies for affordability. Do you think he's maybe a little bit trying to, like, swagger Jack a little bit?
Zoran Mamdani
You know, I actually think there's. There are A lot of places of disagreement with the President. I think one of the things that was remarkable to me is I told him that, you know, our campaign started on October 23rd of last year, but the moment when a lot of people, or not a lot of people, some people started paying attention was after he won the presidency. We did the video on Fordham Road, Hillside Avenue. We talked to Trump voters and we asked them why they voted for him. And it just went back to cost of living and it went back to cheaper groceries. And that was a lot of our campaign.
Adam Friedland
And he liked that. It was 1 in 10, right? That's like. He liked.
Zoran Mamdani
Yeah, 1 in 10. I mean, did you see the guy who has the MAGA from Amdani hat? Yeah. Yeah. Then he did the.
Adam Friedland
How'd that feel?
Zoran Mamdani
The MAGA from Omdani.
Adam Friedland
That was badass.
Zoran Mamdani
It was wild. I remember we were gonna step. I was gonna step on Sound like such a fossilist. Everything is. We. I was going to step on the stage at Forest Hills where we were doing our rally.
Adam Friedland
Did you think it was a prank?
Zoran Mamdani
Well, I had a member of the NYPD pull me aside and they were like, I just want you to know that there is a man in your line of sight with a red MAGA hat. We checked and he's actually sincerely here for the rally.
Adam Friedland
Oh, nice. So you really had to bring it. You had to do a Trump style rally for him. You had to really do. You had to do ymc. You know, this guy's accustomed to some wild rallies. This guy's accustomed to a stadium full of.
Zoran Mamdani
Yeah, it was just me and Elvis. Guard, church.
Adam Friedland
Yeah.
Zoran Mamdani
I mean, and somebody from MTV Lebanon.
Adam Friedland
Did you expect him to like you as much as he did?
Zoran Mamdani
I. I was trying to prepare for a lot of different situations.
Adam Friedland
I know. It's like when you're on that plane taking that selfie, I mean, that could have gone any. That could have gone direction. I mean, like, did that feel best case scenario or like, were you, like.
Zoran Mamdani
It honestly felt like the most productive meeting we could have had.
Adam Friedland
Yeah.
Zoran Mamdani
I mean, a meeting where we talked about Ulerp, we talked about, you know, groceries, Con Ed, rent, childcare. That feels like the best meeting you could have.
Adam Friedland
Yeah. Were Eric or Donald Jr. There?
Zoran Mamdani
No. No.
Adam Friedland
Did you worry that that, like, to see that was maybe difficult for them?
Zoran Mamdani
I wasn't thinking about that.
Adam Friedland
Maybe he's like, the hang has just been so bad. This cool guy came and he's like, now I have to go back to these guys. Did he say, can you sleep Over. Is he gonna come up to New York and see you?
Zoran Mamdani
He didn't ask me that.
Adam Friedland
Oh, man. I mean, it was one of the most surreal things we've ever seen as Americans.
Zoran Mamdani
Robin Van Persie against Charlton, baby.
Adam Friedland
What's the score?
Zoran Mamdani
3:1. What?
Adam Friedland
Fuck. Who scores?
Zoran Mamdani
Richarlison from halfway line.
Adam Friedland
Oh, did he do the pigeon from halfway line?
Zoran Mamdani
He was being weird about it. He scored from the halfway line.
Adam Friedland
Yeah, he chipped right off the. It was off his line.
Zoran Mamdani
Yeah. It wasn't Ryan's fault. It was honestly just a great play for man. Why would you say that?
Adam Friedland
Because they're not a threat. They're not a threat.
Zoran Mamdani
Famous last words. What's. What's this time?
Adam Friedland
Okay. 73rd. What time is Arela?
Zoran Mamdani
74th.
Adam Friedland
What time is it? 1:02.
Zoran Mamdani
Did you watch the 44 Arsenal Newcastle.
Adam Friedland
Yeah, we talked about it. It was the worst day of my life. This is an interesting moment for us because we have, like, an opportunity to have, like, a snapshot of you after an historical election and prior to the assumption of your. One of the most powerful positions in America.
Zoran Mamdani
Co host of the show.
Adam Friedland
Co host of the Adam Freeland Show. What made you run for mayor? Like, what made you decide to run for mayor?
Zoran Mamdani
I think one of the things was that I was very frustrated with the fact that Eric Adams, who was at that point running for reelection, was making it more expensive to live in New York City in clear ways that he had direct control over. And then pretending like he was just a bystander. He was. He would write a letter in support of Con Ed when they want to increase gas and electric by more than 60 bucks a month. He would raise the rent more than 12%. He would increase the water bill. He would.
Adam Friedland
But, like, the conditions for you, I mean.
Zoran Mamdani
I mean, for me, you're like, this
Adam Friedland
is the time I'm gonna run for you.
Zoran Mamdani
I think the thinking was that I wanted to make a case specific about cost of living. And there were a lot of people who looked at kind of the swing of our politics and thought that the only way to beat someone heading towards the right is to head towards the right yourself.
Adam Friedland
And you felt like you were gonna win?
Zoran Mamdani
I felt like I had a 3% chance of winning, and that's probably giving me an extra three points.
Adam Friedland
Did you. Was there someone that you. That you spoke to who said, don't run?
Zoran Mamdani
Oh, tons, tons.
Adam Friedland
Did your girl say that?
Zoran Mamdani
No, my wife.
Adam Friedland
Your wife?
Zoran Mamdani
Fuck, he got it.
Adam Friedland
I mean, she's still your girl. She's always gonna be your Wife. She said run. She.
Zoran Mamdani
She was down for it. That was the final decision.
Adam Friedland
Is she mad at you for working so much?
Zoran Mamdani
No, she's.
Adam Friedland
She gets on ugly. She is a little bit. She what is she. A little bit. She gets. No, but it's annoying for her a little bit. She lets you work so much. Mine.
Zoran Mamdani
This is all permission given.
Adam Friedland
Mine doesn't.
Zoran Mamdani
No. But I think like, to be. To be honest with you, it's to meet someone in one stage of your life.
Adam Friedland
Yeah.
Zoran Mamdani
And then to have your life and their life transform, would it also just like the level of love and support it takes from someone? I mean, I would not be able to do this without her.
Adam Friedland
She gets mad at you for working too much.
Zoran Mamdani
That's not what I say.
Adam Friedland
I feel like. I feel like I looked into your eyes. I see a fellow. Fellow brother. What was the moment you knew you'd
Zoran Mamdani
win for the primary.
Adam Friedland
No, the primary and the generalizing vote.
Zoran Mamdani
You got two questions. You know, there isn't like a single moment. Yeah, there is. The funny thing to me is that in both of the elections from 6 to 9pm I thought I was gonna lose of election day.
Adam Friedland
Cause there was like bad, like exit
Zoran Mamdani
polling in the general. There was a rumor at around six o' clock that there were two major news networks that had bad exit polls and that showed Cuomo with an advantage.
Adam Friedland
He started that rumor.
Zoran Mamdani
I mean, definitely worked. Ruined my night. Ruined my night. Primary. I remember Kevin Elkins.
Adam Friedland
How did you fall for that?
Zoran Mamdani
I'm such a mark of this stuff. Kevin Elkins, who was working on Cuomo's campaign, put out a tweet. Like, I guess the most important thing is that everybody had fun. I was like, oh, man, this means they know they're gonna win. And he's saying that to us.
Adam Friedland
He's in a room full of four guys at the election day party. You're in a stadium. You're in a stadium in front of a Dory fan. I think you should have looked around.
Zoran Mamdani
Yeah. But never. I mean, this is like, you know, being an Arsenal fan.
Adam Friedland
It's the hope that kills you.
Zoran Mamdani
It's never done until.
Adam Friedland
That is you. That meant so much to me. I know exactly what you're talking about.
Zoran Mamdani
I mean, you cannot count it.
Adam Friedland
It's a reminder that you're gonna die one day. It's like youe think that once, any, anytime you think something good is gonna happen, just. It just goes away.
Zoran Mamdani
You have to hold.
Adam Friedland
I think it's made us better people, though. Yeah.
Zoran Mamdani
I mean, we've had to deal with disappointment for decades.
Adam Friedland
I think if we were like Real Madrid fans, we'd be like, cheating on our taxes. Like, I'm gonna live forever. We have affairs, multiple affairs.
Zoran Mamdani
Creator retractable rules for us.
Adam Friedland
We're like, we're like, we're like, it's gonna all go away. So I have to like, make, make. Take advantage of the time I have. It means nothing to these people.
Zoran Mamdani
Okay, wait, what's the. What's the 4 1? SA Hatcher.
Adam Friedland
Let's fucking go. Sorry for cursing. 4 1.
Zoran Mamdani
Sorry to meet. Wow.
Podcast Announcer/Host
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Adam Friedland
Mind you, the reason it's my gift
Podcast Announcer/Host
is because my grandparents are getting old and they like to see personal photos. I upload pictures from the good old days from my grandparents. Pictures of when times were simpler. When they were the caves. You know, when they were like going out and hunting for food and the lady were back at the back of the tent going, blah, blah, blah, you know. And they would drive the car with the feet and they would slide down a dinosaur way on the back. Like a kind of a 5050 grind. So guys, unlimited photos and video. Just download the Aura Frame app and connect to WI Fi. Preload photos before they ship. Keep adding from anywhere, anytime. Personalize your gift. Add a message before it arrives. Share photos and videos effortlessly straight from your phone all year long. Gift box included. Every frame comes with a package in premium gift box with no price tag. Every frame comes packaged in a premium gift box with no price tag. Don't wait. Win the holidays with Aura Frames. So for a limited time, visit auraframes.com and get $45 off ORA's best selling Carver mat frames named number one by Wirecutter by using promo code TAFS at checkout. That's a U R A frames.com promo code TAFS this exclusive black Friday Cyber Monday deal is the best of the year, so order now before it ends. Support the show by mentioning us at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. Guys, I want to tell you about how stressful the holiday season can be. Between travel, gifts, hosting, entertaining, you name it, it's easy for you to lose sight of money and financial responsibility this time of year. If you want to keep your finances under control this holiday season, you need to be using Monarch, rated Wall Street Journal's Best Budgeting App of 2025. Monarch is the all in one personal finance tool that brings your entire financial life together in one clean interface on your laptop or phone. And right now, just for our listeners, monarch is offering 50% off your first year. I've wasted money recently on some ridiculous things. I can't go into it because I would be embarrassing myself and the Mayor Elect Zoran Mamdani. So I'll just say I got myself in a little bit of hot water with the old lady, my girlfriend. So I'm using Monarch Money as my essential urine financial reset tool. I can Link Everything Investments, 401ks property values to get my true net worth and stay on top of my year end priorities like maxing out my contributions to my 401k or Roth IRA before the deadline. Easily. Keeping track of my finances and my year end financials to do list with Monarch means that I can relax and enjoy the holidays for once. Monarch is built for people with busy lives. If you've put off organizing your finances, Monarch is here for you. Monarch does the heavy lifting. It links to all my accounts in minutes. I get clear data, visuals, smart categorizations of my spending, and real control over my money. You don't need to track every dollar, but ignoring your finances entirely can cost you. Monarch isn't just another finance app. It's a tool that real professionals and experts actually love. It was named the best budgeting app of 2025 by the Wall Street Journal. In fact, they have a passionate Reddit community with over 34,000 users that shape how the product is developed. Money can break up couples. Monarch brings them together. Monarch gives your partner full access to your shared dashboard, including linked accounts Budgets, goals, and spending activity all in one place and at no extra cost. So don't let financial opportunity slip through the cracks. Use code tafs@monarch.com in your browser for half off your first year, and that's 50% off your first year@monarch.com with code TAFS.
Adam Friedland
This has become a national news story. Right. And it's a crappy time. You've made a lot of people feel like inspired. Municipal politics is obviously messy. What balance in your team that you're building right now do you have between the guys that know just like the mud, and then the guys that have the vision?
Zoran Mamdani
I think it's looking to combine that in everybody. And I think it's tough because sometimes the more fluency and experience you have in government, the less imagination you have as to what government could be because you've had to deal with its failures for decades.
Adam Friedland
You've been in the cigar rooms.
Zoran Mamdani
Yeah. And I think we've. I think we've made a few appointments so far. The first appointment to me, Dean Fulahan, was the first deputy mayor I appointed him. And El Bisgar Church is my chief of staff. El is somebody I've known for since I've been in office. I hired her as my chief of staff when I was in the Assembly. She's been with you from the jump, and she's incredible.
Adam Friedland
Yeah.
Zoran Mamdani
And Dean is somebody who'd been in government for 47 years, and he'd worked as a first deputy mayor before and worked as the head of the budget before he worked in Albany. And the thing that I love about him is that he's worked through all of that, and still his orientation is how do we make a no into a how when it comes to any political problem? And that's a lot of people lose that the longer they work in government.
Adam Friedland
Do you remember the night Obama won? Like, do you remember, like, how, like, what it felt like where, like, America is different now? You feel like, to me, the first generational talent that's come out of the progressive side of politics. But what we saw was, like, he wasn't prepared that the popularity didn't translate to legislative success. Did you take any notes from that? Did you learn from that? I mean, I'm trying to draw a parallel here.
Zoran Mamdani
No, I think, Look, I think the. The thing, the next challenge now is fulfilling the agenda.
Podcast Announcer/Host
Yeah.
Zoran Mamdani
This excitement, inspiration, this hope, it will carry us through the beginning of the work, and then you have to start to deliver on the work. And I think that is. That is actually what makes Me excited is that I actually see a path on each of the three key agenda points. And every time you win one of them, it validates people for believing because there are a lot of people who, they don't know if they should give themselves permission to hope again because of how many times they've been disappointed. And you have to prove that they were right to believe. You have to give them. If we spent an entire campaign talking about freezing the rent for rent, stabilized tenants, fast and free buses, childcare, the urgency of starting to deliver on that, it's what makes people understand that they were right to demand more.
Adam Friedland
But is there a balance that you have to strike? Do you have to like those people that believe in you? Do you feel like there's a necessity to kind of inoculate them to understand it's not going to be overnight? Right.
Zoran Mamdani
Yeah. And I think that's. You have to be honest about a timeline and that, you know, I'm not going to tell anyone in the first hundred days we're achieving these three things. But they have to be able to see that you are working towards it and that you can actually deliver it while you're the mayor. And that's like, I've been a legislator and the legislature, it's an incredible place for where you can craft bill ideas, vote on them, debate on them. So much of whether or not they succeed has to do with whether the executive wants to implement them. You can pass it through both houses, and if you have a. You know, when I first came in Albany, Cuomo was the governor, and you knew that the implementation of the law could be completely different than what you intended. And now I will be the executive in New York City. And that's also what gives me so much hope, is that you have the ability to follow through on so much of this. And we've been told again and again what politicians can't do, it's really what they won't do. And that's why I'm here on the Adam Friedland Show. Yeah. Yeah.
Adam Friedland
Thank you. There are plenty of ways they can fuck with you. Right, Right. And it's not only City hall, which is. But it's, you know, Albany, it's D.C. and it's like it's you going out to see the president, like, showing face and showing abs, maybe. I don't know what you did.
Zoran Mamdani
I don't have surgery.
Adam Friedland
I don't know what you did in that room.
Zoran Mamdani
Yeah.
Adam Friedland
Are there contingencies in place? You know, are you prepared for the fight? Because they're Gonna try to fuck with you.
Zoran Mamdani
Yeah. I mean, you have to be ready for that, you know?
Adam Friedland
It's the worst job that you have, I don't think.
Zoran Mamdani
I don't think it's the worst job.
Adam Friedland
Why do you. Why are you doing this?
Zoran Mamdani
Because you get to represent New York City.
Podcast Announcer/Host
It's the worst job.
Adam Friedland
You get booed everywhere you go.
Zoran Mamdani
I mean, I saw. I still get booed anyway.
Adam Friedland
I saw de Blasio get booed at a Paul Simon concert.
Zoran Mamdani
No.
Adam Friedland
And it was like a PR parent family. They were like. They're like, oh, fuck, yes. I was like, what? It's the mayor. He has to get booed. I mean, no, really, what it is,
Zoran Mamdani
but, like, that's also what I love about, like, to be a New Yorker. You're gonna hear a lot of people's opinions. Like, I went to the Wu Tang concert a few months ago.
Adam Friedland
You got booed.
Zoran Mamdani
Well, most of the reception is, like, great. People are, like, cheering, waving. They want photos. And this one guy's like, yo, come take a photo of me. I'm like, yeah, what's up, dog? As soon as we take the photo, he pulls out the selfie. And then he just flips me off in the selfie.
Adam Friedland
That's funny.
Zoran Mamdani
And I'm like, respect you.
Adam Friedland
Zoo you a bit, though. Yeah. He likes you. I do that to my friends all the time.
Zoran Mamdani
Yeah.
Adam Friedland
No, it's not that. What it is is that it's a slog.
Zoran Mamdani
It is definitely a slog.
Adam Friedland
You have to do it your way, I assume.
Zoran Mamdani
I think a big part of it is you have to keep yourself through it all. And you have to balance between the demands of what the city will require from you and how you don't lose yourself in the process of it. When I was. When I started in local politics, the first organization that I joined was the Muslim Democratic Club of New York. And one of the founders, her name is Alia Latif, she gave me this advice of, whatever you do, make sure you can recognize yourself in the mirror at the end of the day. I think that's a big part of how I'm thinking about this. Work as hard as I can and do so to fulfill the vision we've had. Not to comport yourself for a box that's being created.
Adam Friedland
I met Leena Khan. She was on the show.
Zoran Mamdani
She's great. Just four minute warning.
Podcast Announcer/Host
Four minute warnings.
Zoran Mamdani
Can we get a score update? Four, one. It's domination.
Adam Friedland
It's domination.
Zoran Mamdani
I don't know what else to call it, man. Do you ever Watch the Fox Soccer Channel commercials. No, they used to have the epoxy.
Adam Friedland
Yeah, yeah.
Zoran Mamdani
Just be like long commercials of Drogba.
Adam Friedland
Oh, my descriptions.
Zoran Mamdani
We have the planet of a man. DDA drugba.
Adam Friedland
That's the nightmares we have.
Zoran Mamdani
You know, nightmare I have is diddy and drug.
Adam Friedland
But believe me, senderos cry.
Zoran Mamdani
Michael Essien's goal, I guess.
Adam Friedland
Yeah. I met Leena Khan. She was on the show, and, like, she's perhaps one of the most impressive people. She's incredible I've ever met. And when I heard she was part of the transition team, I was like, oh, he's got. Like, he's got it. I mean, I genuinely. I mean, I asked her if she's ever lied, and she said, well, maybe in elementary school. And I don't think. I think that was true. I mean, like, I think it was true. And what was really effective was that she communicated antitrust laws in, like, this complex stuff in a very clear and concise way. And sometimes progressives feel like snobs when they're talking to people.
Zoran Mamdani
I remember. I mean, when I was running for state assembly, we put together our first palm card, and I thought it was absolutely fire. And I remember giving it to a friend of mine, Karen McCurdy, who is a great photographer. And she read it and she was like, what do these words mean?
Adam Friedland
Yeah.
Zoran Mamdani
Because so much of the time, it feels like we're just speaking to ourselves.
Adam Friedland
I mean, I think that's one thing that is going to be important is, like, just communicating. Not above people's heads, just actually speaking with them. With people.
Zoran Mamdani
And I think that's the. It's. The point is to bring people in to politics, not to condescend to them as to why they're not already there. And it's also just much easier being yourself.
Adam Friedland
Yeah.
Zoran Mamdani
When you're speaking to people and you're gonna get old.
Adam Friedland
You think? Your face, brother. You see them always. Yeah. You're going bald already.
Zoran Mamdani
What do you mean, already? I've been going bald.
Adam Friedland
What do you do for.
Zoran Mamdani
I'm just. I worry.
Adam Friedland
No.
Zoran Mamdani
Did you do anything? Did you, like Minoxidil?
Adam Friedland
We could go to Turkey.
Zoran Mamdani
I. That's one place I go.
Adam Friedland
Rhinoplasty. You go here. Oh, you can't go. Yeah.
Zoran Mamdani
Great. Adam, we got a wrap.
Adam Friedland
Okay, last.
Podcast Announcer/Host
Last question.
Adam Friedland
When I saw Lita, when I spoke to Lita, she said one thing that stuck with me.
Zoran Mamdani
Yeah.
Podcast Announcer/Host
And I said, like, the most powerful
Adam Friedland
companies in the world. The most powerful people in the world, like, are pissed at you. She had like hundreds of op EDS in newspapers. No one knew what the fuck the FTC was. And her response to me was very impressive. It was like she said, like I said, did you ever clap back or anything? She looked like, confused and she was
Podcast Announcer/Host
like, no, I just have to, like,
Adam Friedland
I don't know, like, win the lawsuit.
Zoran Mamdani
Let the work speak for itself.
Adam Friedland
If you're getting pummeled in the press, like, how are you gonna keep your horse blinders on and just focus on the agenda?
Zoran Mamdani
You know, I think you. You have to both be responsive. But I think she's right, which she's there. There's two things she said about that experience that have really stayed with me. The first is that you always have to remember that the opinions that you're hearing, that especially from the wealthy and the powerful, they will always be amplified in a way that working peoples are not. And if you remember that context, you take that seriously. And you also don't think of it as surround sound in the way that it's feels. And part of that means getting out of the office, getting actually into New York City, speaking to people, asking them what they're thinking about, what they're worried about. And then the other thing is that every time you win in your agenda, it proves that people are right to believe in that agenda in the first place. And you have to both be able to respond to this and never let it distract you from the work that you're supposed to be doing. Because if she wins that lawsuit, then that's the proof. And if we deliver on this agenda, that's the proof. And I mean, Bernie talks about the thing that people are afraid of is that the power of example.
Adam Friedland
Yeah.
Zoran Mamdani
That's what people are fearing. Not that we won't get it done, but that we will.
Adam Friedland
Can you, like. Can you get up on. Can you text him?
Zoran Mamdani
I don't know. My phone's on me.
Adam Friedland
You have his number, though.
Zoran Mamdani
You should.
Adam Friedland
Oh, shit. I got. No, no, I got a text.
Zoran Mamdani
Oh, I gotta give you the second time. Just in, right again, yes.
Arsenal Fan from Spain
Zoran, no. And the Tash, but hold on.
Adam Friedland
Look how handsome.
Zoran Mamdani
I gotta go for the beginning.
Adam Friedland
Look how handsome.
Arsenal Fan from Spain
Yes. Zorin, how are you?
Adam Friedland
We gotta go back to you.
Arsenal Fan from Spain
I don't know if you recognize me with this badge and this hair and the sash. We love told me that you guys were gonna watch the together.
Adam Friedland
We're now. You know, you made me miss video
Arsenal Fan from Spain
before, after half time. But I'm sure that we're winning somehow. Also, my theory that being an Arsenal fan is heavily linked with being a cool person that my theory is really, truly standing right now.
Adam Friedland
It's like when Aiden Ross gave Trump a Tesla.
Arsenal Fan from Spain
Even here in Spain, we feel the energy of what's happened.
Adam Friedland
I love him so much too.
Arsenal Fan from Spain
He was rapping needs right now what the world needs right now. And man, just sending you lots of love and respect from here. From Spain, from a big Arsenal fan and former Arsenal player to a massive Arsenal fan as well. To you, Adam, as well. Sending you lots of love, big hug and hope to see you guys soon.
Zoran Mamdani
Enjoy the game.
Arsenal Fan from Spain
Yes.
Adam Friedland
I'll send these to you.
Zoran Mamdani
Oh, my God.
Adam Friedland
I'll text you to you
Zoran Mamdani
watched.
Adam Friedland
I DM'd everyone. He's our era, too.
Zoran Mamdani
He's our era. He's a style icon.
Adam Friedland
He's incredible. Yeah. I can't believe I did that. I feel like Oprah right now. You in a car. I'll take this.
Zoran Mamdani
Hector, I love you.
Adam Friedland
Go ahead,
Zoran Mamdani
Sam.
Adam Friedland
What's the score?
Zoran Mamdani
3:1. What? Fuck.
Date: November 24, 2025
This episode features a lively and revealing conversation between Adam Friedland and Zoran Mamdani, the mayor-elect of New York City, focusing on Mamdani’s historic mayoral victory, his much-publicized meeting with President Trump, and his lifelong passion for Arsenal football. The discussion balances behind-the-scenes details about political life, personal anecdotes, sports fandom, and reflections on leadership and generational change.
Surreal Moments & Viral Selfies ([14:24], [15:05])
Inside the Oval Office ([15:05]-[16:20])
Composure at the Press Conference ([16:22]-[16:42])
Trump and Popularity Dynamics ([16:57]-[17:59])
Why Run? ([20:28]-[21:33])
Election Night Anxiety ([22:43]-[23:58])
Building a Team ([29:43]-[31:02])
Generational Change & Representation ([11:23]-[12:19])
Adjusting to Fame ([12:54]-[14:17])
Managing Expectations & Delivering Results ([31:02]-[33:34])
Preparation for Opposition ([33:34]-[34:01])
Personal Integrity & Advice ([34:52]-[35:33])
Arsenal Fandom & Emotional Support ([05:25], [06:06]-[11:11])
Shared Heritage and Family Stories ([08:26]-[10:28])
Sports as Metaphor for Politics ([23:50]-[24:19])
Cameos from Arsenal Community ([41:16])
Communicating Clearly ([36:08]-[37:26])
Handling Public Scrutiny ([38:19]-[39:32])
Staying True to the Mission ([39:29])
“Honestly, I was just thinking about New York City.”
—Zoran Mamdani on how he maintained composure during the White House press conference ([16:40])
“You don’t have the LaGuardia record if you don’t have FDR.”
—Zoran Mamdani, reflecting on policy legacy ([15:24])
“It's the hope that kills you.”
—Adam Friedland, comparing Arsenal fandom to political campaigns ([23:50])
“I wanted to make a case specific about cost of living.”
—Zoran Mamdani on his campaign’s focus ([21:13])
“Whatever you do, make sure you can recognize yourself in the mirror at the end of the day.”
—Advice Zoran received from Alia Latif ([35:33])
“The point is to bring people into politics, not to condescend to them as to why they’re not already there.”
—Zoran Mamdani ([37:10])
“That's what people are fearing. Not that we won’t get it done, but that we will.”
—Zoran Mamdani paraphrasing Bernie Sanders ([39:29])
The episode is marked by Adam Friedland's comedic, self-deprecating, and conversational style, with an undercurrent of respect and genuine curiosity. Zoran Mamdani is candid, warm, modest, and quick to acknowledge his supporters, mentors, and the gravity of the city’s challenges. There’s a repeated interplay between insider political insights and relatable “regular guy” moments—grounded in sports fandom and shared immigrant heritage.
This conversation is both entertaining and insightful, blending political analysis, personal revelation, and sports banter. If you want a sense of how a new generation of progressive leadership approaches power—rooted in community, humility, and unpolished authenticity—this episode is an essential listen. The Arsenal fandom, New York roots, and White House anecdotes make Zoran Mamdani’s rise to mayor feel both improbable and inevitable, capturing the pulse of a city and a moment.