Episode Overview

Episode Title: Can I Bench More Than a Socialist?
Podcast: The Brett Cooper Show
Host: Brett Cooper
Date: August 25, 2025
Main Theme:
This episode uses a viral moment featuring New York City mayoral candidate Zoran Mamdani’s failed bench press attempt to explore how cultural shifts around fitness and masculinity have impacted modern politics. Brett Cooper breaks down why such incidents resonate online, how political parties capitalize on or are hurt by these cultural changes, and what broader trends this reveals about values and authenticity in public life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Viral Video: Zoran Mamdani’s Bench Press Fail

• [00:00] Brett introduces Zoran Mamdani's viral video, where he struggles to bench 135 lbs at New York’s Men's Day event.
• [00:24] Over-the-top encouragement from a bystander in the video ("This is how you move up in the polls!") sets off an online frenzy.
  • Brett notes irony: “If he only knew that what he encouraged Mamdani to do would just wreck him on the Internet…” ([00:56])
• Benchmarking Masculinity and Competence:
  • Mamdani’s visible struggle to complete a single rep is dissected and meme-ified.
  • Spotter visibly does most of the work, but Mamdani and his supporters cheer as if he succeeded.

Social Media & Commentary Fallout

• Comparison to Socialism:
  • Quoting commentator Tim Young:
    • “Zoran Mamdani cannot bench 135. So…someone else basically does all the work for him, and he celebrates like he did it himself. Yikes.” – Tim Young ([approx. 01:35])
• Audience Reactions:
  • Comments range from mocking (“Your newborn could do this.”) to tongue-in-cheek comparisons with Marines on maternity leave.
• Brett’s Own Fitness Test:
  • Brett is motivated to try benching 135 lbs herself ("Lo and behold, I cannot. I cannot. Zoran can, in fact, bench more than me." – Brett, [03:15])
  • She humorously contextualizes her attempt by noting she’s 39 weeks pregnant.
  • “I do not think that speaks to my weakness. I think it speaks more to his inability to bench and the fact that he is struggling with the same thing that a 39 weeks and 5 days pregnant lady is struggling with.” ([03:53])

Political Rivals Join the Gym Wars

• Eric Adams Claps Back:
  • The current NYC mayor, aged 64, performs the same exercise at the event and posts a taunting video.
    • “64 versus 33. A lifetime of hard work versus a silver spoon. The results speak for themselves. The weight of the job is too heavy for Ma’ Am Scrawny. The only thing he can lift is your taxes.” – Eric Adams’ post ([06:00])
• Andrew Cuomo Inserts Himself:
  • Despite not attending, Cuomo tweets in response to coverage:
    • “It’s easy to talk. It’s hard to carry the burden. This guy can’t bench his own body weight, let alone carry the weight of leading the most important city in the world.” – Andrew Cuomo ([07:20])
  • Brett mocks Cuomo’s need to stay relevant and recounts his unrelated “jump-starting a car” video, highlighting the inauthentic pandering.

Cultural Commentary: Fitness as a Political Battleground

• Pre-2020s: The Left & Health
  • Brett argues that “the left owned the health space” – with holistic health, fitness, and diet trends.
• Post-2020: Rejection and Villainization
  • Points to a spate of articles and TikTok commentary denouncing fitness as “racist, ableist, or fatphobic.”
    • Pulls headline examples:
      • “The white supremacist origins of exercise and six other surprising facts about the history of U.S. physical fitness.”
      • “Getting fit is great, but it could turn you into a right wing jerk.” ([10:45])
• Viral TikTok Critiques:
  • Clips parody anti-fitness takes:
    • “If you work out strictly for appearance based reasons, you are fatphobic. Life’s too short to exercise.” ([12:26])
    • “Nobody hears about when you do that and there’s like muscles there. Nobody cares about that. We don’t want to see that.” – TikTok audio ([12:44])

Brett’s Take:

• “They don’t want you to work out, they don’t want you to be fit and care about your health because that makes them feel inferior. And when they feel inferior, that actually just means that you are fat phobic, that you are a bigot.” ([12:50])

Political Strategies and the Gym Rebrand

• Democratic Attempts to Win Back Young Men:
  • 2025: Democrats invest $20 million in programs to understand and attract young men, noting “men are going to the gym” so the party should as well.
  • MSNBC and CNN cover these efforts, promoting Democrats posting their own workout content online.
• Inauthenticity Problem:
  • Brett argues that left-wing gym content often appears pandering and “cringy,” lacking genuine care for fitness.
  • “Just posting cringy, like, lifting videos is not going to help when the message behind them just seems vapid and unbelievable.” ([18:00])
  • Strategic attempts to ‘hit the gym’ are met with skepticism by young men, who “sniff out what is authentic and what is not.”

Strategic Quote:

• “People want to see vigor. They want to see action. They want to see that you’re prepared to do the job, doing more than just sitting behind a… litany of nonsensical acronyms.” (Dem strategist cited by Brett, [18:30])
• “I would caution Democrats against pulling out a checklist for young men. We'll do some bench pressing. For young women, we'll talk about the Barbie movie. People don't like checklists and they don't like being pandered to. They remember you for who you are. You need to be authentic in a way that is believable.” (CNN-quoted strategist, [19:05])

The Right & Fitness: Anecdotes and Symbolism

• RFK Jr. as Contrasting Symbol:
  • Brett points out videos of RFK Jr., at 70, benching equivalent weight in jeans.
    • “That is the same amount of weight I believe that Mamdani was trying to lift. He has… What is this, a resistance thing? He’s in jeans. He’s like twice his age. How many reps is he on now? Certainly more than 2, Mamdani.” ([21:00])
• Other figures referenced for authenticity:
  • Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, Marjorie Taylor Greene all seen doing legit workouts.
• These displays are contrasted with inauthentic Democratic photo-ops.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Zoran Mamdani cannot bench 135. So…someone else basically does all the work for him, and he celebrates like he did it himself. Yikes.”
  — Tim Young’s tweet ([01:35])
• “I do not think that speaks to my weakness. I think it speaks more to his inability to bench and the fact that he is struggling with the same thing that a 39 weeks and 5 days pregnant lady is struggling with.”
  — Brett Cooper ([03:53])
• “The weight of the job is too heavy for Ma’ Am Scrawny. The only thing he can lift is your taxes.”
  — Eric Adams’ post ([06:27])
• “They don’t want you to work out…because that makes them feel inferior. And when they feel inferior, that actually just means that you are fat phobic, that you are a bigot.”
  — Brett Cooper ([12:50])
• “People want to see vigor. They want to see action…doing more than just sitting behind a… litany of nonsensical acronyms.”
  — Quoting Democrat strategist ([18:30])
• “You need to be authentic in a way that is believable…People don't like checklists and they don't like being pandered to. They remember you for who you are.”
  — CNN strategist ([19:05])
• “If Mamdani cannot even bench lightweight, if he doesn’t care about his health, if he mocks people who work out… how will he be able to physically support a metropolis like New York City?”
  — Brett Cooper ([22:15])

Structure and Flow

• Opening:
  • Viral video setup, why the story matters beyond online ridicule.
• Breakdown:
  • Details of the incident, reactions from all sides, Brett’s personal anecdote for comic relief and relatability.
• Political Analysis:
  • How fitness culture reflects and shapes political identities and perceptions of authenticity, competency, and leadership.
• Media & Cultural Critique:
  • Traces shifting narratives around health/fitness in left-liberal media, contrasts old and new party “brands.”
• Conclusion:
  • The incident’s lasting relevance – not just mockery, but as a marker of deeper trends in politics and societal values.

Takeaways and Final Thoughts

• Fitness is now deeply symbolic in American politics, representing vigor, authenticity, and “realness.”
• Left-wing retreat from fitness culture (or its perceived denigration) has led to PR setbacks and real shifts in voter sentiment, especially among young men.
• Attempts at course-correcting by pandering (e.g., staged gym selfies) are seen as inauthentic and do not fix the problem.
• The bench press fail is not just an Internet joke – it’s a window into anxieties and aspirations about leadership, masculinity, and generational change.

For Listeners Who Haven’t Heard the Episode:

This episode is a sharp, humorous, and pointed take on how a silly viral gym video captures deeper currents in generational values, political aesthetics, and the American cultural landscape of 2025. Through her blend of wit and straight talk, Brett Cooper makes a case for why “who can bench more” is about much more than just the weight on the bar.