Sean Ramesh (1:52)

Bridget Bergen, senior politics reporter at wnyc. On Monday night, you hung out with the mayor of New York City, Zoran Momdani, at a live event at the Green Space. How's he feeling about his first hundred days in office?

Host of Today Explained (possibly Arianna or Sean) (2:04)

I think he's feeling pretty good, Sean.

Ben Rhodes (2:06)

Hello, everyone.

Bridget Bergen (2:08)

It's such a pleasure to be here.

Host of Today Explained (possibly Arianna or Sean) (2:13)

His administration points to a lot of the work that they've been doing that, you know, is government delivering for people. And it's the type of stuff that I think New Yorkers expect from their government. But I think the government doesn't always remind them that they're actually doing it. And they've actually taken some time to brand the work that they're doing. This is pothole politics and it's basically an emphasis on taking care of things like potholes and picking up the trash and making sure, you know, the streets are clean as a sort of testament to New Yorkers that they're both focusing on the small things, the things that matter in their lives, and that's why they should trust them to do bigger things.

Bridget Bergen (2:59)

And they're saying that if you want me to believe in the promise of universal childcare, you have to show that you can deal with the smallest kind of issues that have often been overlooked.

Host of Today Explained (possibly Arianna or Sean) (3:07)

That is their argument. And they point to some of those smaller things that they've done as, you know, emblematic of that.

Sean Ramesh (3:18)

The three things that candidate mom Donnie couldn't stop talking about were universal childcare, free and fast buses and freezing the rent. We asked Bridget how he's doing on those three pledges so far. Not that anyone would have expected him to deliver on all three already. Right, right.

Host of Today Explained (possibly Arianna or Sean) (3:36)

I think there are people who would expect them in 100 days. But, you know, so far he has made some interesting progress. On day eight, he stood with Governor Kathy Hochul where they announced this infusion of state funds to pay for the expansion of the city's early childhood programs.

Bridget Bergen (3:56)

And we have made this choice so that no longer do New Yorkers have to make the choice between this city and their family.

Host of Today Explained (possibly Arianna or Sean) (4:03)

Now, in parts of the city where there was only limited 3k programs, so that would be early childhood education for 3 year olds. Now that's supposed to be available citywide so that, you know, if you have a three year old who wants to enroll in that program, they're not going to suddenly tell you, sure, there's a seat for you. It's just, you know, in this other borough. And ultimately his vision is to get to a point where there is universal childcare down to six month olds and we're not there yet. But this is one of the signature commitments he made during that campaign. And they want to remind New Yorkers over and over that they are making progress on. And it's that combination of both the commitment and the communication that I think is why he's been really effective and why people outside of New York City are paying attention to what he's doing here in New York City. Like, some of it is the work of government, some of it is filling 102,000 potholes since January 1st. I think what they're trying to do is get some tangible wins back for New Yorkers, particularly for New Yorkers who are facing some of the affordability crisis that he campaign that he was going to Fight. You know, there are bigger things that they would like to do. Certainly the tax the rich campaign is something that he has continued to talk about.

Bridget Bergen (5:31)

I'm thrilled to announce we've secured a pied a terre tax, the first in New York's history. This is an annual fee on luxury properties worth more than $5 million whose owners do not live full time in the city. This tax will raise at least $500 million directly for the city.

Host of Today Explained (possibly Arianna or Sean) (5:46)

He is facing a $5.4 billion budget shortfall, so that doesn't close that gap by a long shot. And he has not had a lot of success with the city council in terms of how they're proposing going about balancing this budget. So, you know, without that tax increase and with sort of being at odds with the council, who he has to negotiate with, this is still going to be a big challenge between now and that June 30th deadline.

Sean Ramesh (6:19)

How does the city feel about him at this point? What are his approval ratings?

Host of Today Explained (possibly Arianna or Sean) (6:24)

So it's interesting. He's got a 48% approval rating and 30% who disapprove. And by comparison, at the same point during the Adams administration, Eric Adams had more closer to a 60% approval.

Zoran Mamdani (6:41)

Unfiltered, perfectly imperfect. No telling what I'm going to do and what I'm going to say at any time.

Sean Ramesh (6:47)

Wow.

Host of Today Explained (possibly Arianna or Sean) (6:48)

Yeah.

Sean Ramesh (6:48)

That might be surprising to people. I was just this morning on YouTube looking at one of his rap videos, as, you know, young cardamom, Mr. Cardamom.

Host of Today Explained (possibly Arianna or Sean) (6:59)

But you never catch me. But to just catch Zays.

Sean Ramesh (7:04)

And one of the comments was, this is my mayor. I live in Helsinki. In parentheses. People who live in Helsinki and consider Zoram Hamdani, their mayor might think he's like the most popular thing since sliced bread and yet less popular at the same time as Eric Adams.

Host of Today Explained (possibly Arianna or Sean) (7:24)

Yeah. But, I mean, you have to remember where we were in March of 2022. We were just coming out of, you know, the depths of the pandemic. This is when Mayor Eric Adams was talking about how a city with swagger needed a mayor with swagger, and he was going to bring that to New York City.

Zoran Mamdani (7:49)

We've allowed people to beat us down so much that all we did was wallow in Covid. That's all we did. And we no longer believed this is a city of swagger.

Host of Today Explained (possibly Arianna or Sean) (8:03)

This is, of course, before some of the corruption charges emerged later in his administration and his approval ratings plummeted. So with that plummeting approval rating, I think there was also a loss of trust in city Government. What you see in Mamdani's approval rating is about a 20 point jump from the low of the Adams administration, which was In October of 2024, you know, just after he had been indicted on five federal corruption charges that were then dropped at the direct of President Trump's Justice Department. I think there are still some New Yorkers who have questions about what city government can do and what a mayor can do for them. And they've set a very high bar for themself.

Sean Ramesh (8:54)

Surely he has critics. I remember many of them from when he was campaigning. What are they saying about his tenure so far? Has he won any of them over or are they still out there, I don't know, wish casting Andrew Cuomo as their mayor?

Host of Today Explained (possibly Arianna or Sean) (9:10)

The critiques are still there for sure. But then you have, you know, titans of industry, people like Jamie Dimon, the head of JPMorgan Chase, who have sent signals that they don't like his proposals on, you know, corporate taxes, that perhaps they should be looking to, you know, more hospice hospitable places like Florida or Texas as places to run their businesses. And yet a place like JPMorgan Chase just built a new multi billion dollar headquarters right on Park Avenue. So you don't get the sense that they're necessarily fleeing immediately. But there are questions about what does economic development look like under this administration. There has been a decline in private sector job growth, which we've seen, you know, here in the city, but also in the rest of the country. But that becomes a real issue. I think there are also some New Yorkers who have questions about will his relationship with President Trump be beneficial for New York City. He's met in person with the president twice, pitched the president on this idea of building a new housing development in Queens over a railroad track, the Sunnyside Yard railroad track. And the idea would be that this would be the most housing developed by an administration since the 1970s. We 12,000 units of housing. But I think people are watching that project and watching what he's able to do with building in this city.

Sean Ramesh (10:51)

You know, hearing you bring up President Trump and their, you know, well covered interactions at the White House reminds me that he was also hanging out with President Obama this past weekend. Were you there?

Host of Today Explained (possibly Arianna or Sean) (11:03)

I was there, yeah.

Audience Member or Caller (11:05)

Yeah, I know your daddy.

Host of Today Explained (possibly Arianna or Sean) (11:10)

What's his first name? This was essentially an opportunity for President Obama to show his support for Mayor Mamdani's agenda when it comes to childcare.

Bridget Bergen (11:26)

The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round.

Host of Today Explained (possibly Arianna or Sean) (11:32)

It is fascinating to think about the fact that the weekend before, which was when Mayor Mamdani marked his 100 days in office and delivered this address at this, you know, nightclub essentially in a part of Queens called the Knockdown Center.

Bridget Bergen (11:51)

Oh, my go

Host of Today Explained (possibly Arianna or Sean) (11:56)

is that Bernie Sanders? He appeared with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

Ben Rhodes (12:01)

But what you guys are doing here is telling the world that we can have a government that works for all of us, not just the oligarchs.

Host of Today Explained (possibly Arianna or Sean) (12:13)

And then a week later, he's sitting down with former President Barack Obama. There are people who would say that they represent very different portions of the Democratic Party. And for them both to be gravitating towards the New York City mayor, I think to me raised questions about, well, what does this say about where the party is headed? Is there some unifying principle in what he is trying to do that connects these two different wings? And I think part of what he said to me was any version of the party that centers working people is something that he thinks a lot of people can get behind.

Sean Ramesh (13:01)

You can read Bridget bergen@gothamist.com and you can watch her interview with mayor Mamdani on WNYC's YouTube. We're gonna talk about Mamdani's party when we're back on today.

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Sean Ramesh (14:05)

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Sean Ramesh (15:56)

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Bridget Bergen (16:53)

As Eugene Debs once said, I can see the dawn of a better.

Sean Ramesh (17:07)

We wanted to hear from a Democratic Party insider on how Zoran Mamdani is being perceived and maybe even shaking stuff up. Ben Rhodes is one such insider.

Ben Rhodes (17:17)

It's interesting because, you know, there are kind of two cleavages in the Democratic Party. One is between left and center, but the other is more about kind of almost body language. You know, do you understand what is happening? Do you understand the scale of the danger that Trump poses? Do you understand the scale of the disgust that people feel for the Democratic Party and politics in general? Do you understand the need for generational change? Right. So these are things that aren't left center. And I think that Manani has excited just about everybody that is either on the progressive end of the spectrum in the party or who's just eager for newer younger faces who understand what's going on, who do politics in a different way, who don't feel like repurposing of the old talking points for the umpteenth time. Right. And so there's a bunch of people that see him as an opportunity, someone to follow, someone to emulate. You know, how does he package this affordability agenda? How is he mainstreaming progressive ideas? How is he representative of a kind of politics that can motivate younger people because it looks fun and inclusive and participatory? Then I think there's Democrats that are terrified of Zohrand Mamdan because of all those things. Let's just take Chuck Schumer, who's like the stand in for, I think, a lot of the Democratic establishment that people are frustrated with, who didn't even endorse Mamdani, even though he's from New York.

Host of Today Explained (possibly Arianna or Sean) (18:51)

Today is Election day in New York City.

Audience Member or Caller (18:53)

Did you vote for Mamdani or Cuomo?

Audience Member or Caller (18:55)

Look, I voted and I look forward to working with the next mayor to help New York City.

Ben Rhodes (19:01)

Obviously, he's ambivalent about Mamdani's politics on Israel, Palestine. He's reluctant to let go of the reins to a new generation in the same way that we saw kind of a Joe Biden be reluctant in his time in office. He's kind of internalized these fights over the years between the left wing of the party and the center and is kind of worried about, I don't know, the ascendancy of the Democratic socialists and losing control of an agenda that is usually dictated from Washington, not the other way around. And so I think he's been, I don't want to say polarizing because the streamers of the world can't really speak out against Mamdani anymore because he's so popular at this point. But I do think that there are people that are ambivalent and then there are people that are excited. And the number of excited people is the growing quotient.

Sean Ramesh (19:50)

Looking at him next to a figure

Audience Member or Caller (19:51)

like Schumer, people are aroused. I haven't seen people so aroused in a very, very long time.

Sean Ramesh (19:57)

The contrast is really just so apparent in two really considerable buckets. One, he's just a much better communicator, which is like an understatement. And then two, he seems to be way better at dealing with the President. Are these the two buckets that Democrats are most focused on, who are. Who are in office or maybe even aspiring to national office?

Ben Rhodes (20:21)

I think that those are two of the primary buckets. I mean, there's obviously questions about, like, what does the Democratic Party stand for on certain issues, but if you just take those two on the standing up to the president. Let's just start there. Mamdani's kind of proven what a lot of Democrats suspect, which is that our leadership has somehow completely failed to figure out a way to deal with Trump. They're either railing against him in public and not able to do anything in private, or they're trying to kind of cut a deal in the old fashioned way. Like, we'll get to the government shutdown and then we'll negotiate some big legislative compromise. And that has not worked. And so I think Mamdani shows, hey, you can be smart about this and be completely uncompromising, and Trump will actually respect you more. And then on the communication side, it helps that Zora Mamdani is a charismatic politician. It helps that he's a very likable politician. But I think the two things that I would highlight is he speaks like a normal human being, and the Chuck Schumers of the world do not.

Audience Member or Caller (21:22)

People are aroused.

Ben Rhodes (21:24)

They sound like they're talking about politics in D.C. you know, it's always some kind of seemingly focused group, poll tested phrase about the middle class that is, like, designed to offend the least people and therefore says absolutely nothing.

Audience Member or Caller (21:38)

We are totally united in one thing, many things, but one thing above all.

Ben Rhodes (21:43)

Whereas Mamdani just sounds like a normal guy, like an authentic person who's just telling you what he believes.

Bridget Bergen (21:49)

And I say that to you in a city where we know that time is money.

Ben Rhodes (21:53)

Yes, sir.

Bridget Bergen (21:54)

Where we know that too many of these kinds of press conferences have then been followed by years of waiting, and New Yorkers cannot afford to wait any longer.

Ben Rhodes (22:03)

People have heard him take stances that were controversial. Like, I actually think in this case, his positions on Gaza helped him become validated on his positions on affordability, because people are like, well, this guy's willing to go out and pick some really big fights and be called some really dangerous names in the context of American politics.

Audience Member or Caller (22:23)

And.

Ben Rhodes (22:23)

And he's not going to budge. Well, I'm more likely to believe that he's going to fight to lower my rent because he has principles that he'll stand on. And I think people don't trust a lot of the mainstream Democratic politicians that they will actually be there when the fight comes. You know, there's this kind of funny discourse in the Democratic Party after the election about, hey, should we go on more podcasts?

Sean Ramesh (22:45)

That was so embarrassing.

Ben Rhodes (22:47)

It's so embarrassing.

John Finer (22:48)

The gaming culture is real. It's growing. You've got stadiums now, quite literally filled, physical stadiums with people watching these esports.

Mysterious Guest or Commentator (22:57)

I always tell people, give me a Mother's Day card, please, because I get called you Mother often. And it's from people on wings of both parties.

Ben Rhodes (23:05)

It would really be a Father's Day card in that sense.

Mysterious Guest or Commentator (23:07)

But calling me a mother?

Ben Rhodes (23:08)

Well, you're not the mother.

Mysterious Guest or Commentator (23:09)

Oh, you're right. I never thought about that analysis here.

Ben Rhodes (23:12)

Any kind of card would do, I think.

Sean Ramesh (23:15)

I appreciate that. I mean, the most embarrassing thing was that they just figured out in like, 2025 that maybe they should go on podcast. But there's a lot to be embarrassed about. I think you're getting at something important here, which is like, how much of this is just a momdani thing. You worked for a guy who was singular. Is Mamdani sort of singular? I mean, he's 34 years old. He's a former rapper. He loves sports. He loves culture. He understands social media. You can't implant that into a Schumer or even a Schumer's team, necessarily.

Audience Member or Caller (23:49)

People are aroused.

Ben Rhodes (23:52)

Look, he's singularly talented, and he has that kind of uniqueness that Obama had. Like, his background is different. He presents differently. Now, I actually think that if you where it can be replicated, even if you don't have Mamdani's kind of singular talents or background, is the authenticity and generational point. Younger people that just sound normal and look normal. And if you look in the Democratic Senate primaries, for instance, some people that have overperformed often against the party establishment's choices. So a Graham Platner in Maine, I

Grant Platner (24:28)

bought a house about four doors down from the one I grew up in, and I've been able to meet my wife, Amy, and we've been Able to build a really wonderful existence working on the sea. Get to work as an oyster farmer and a commercial diver.

Ben Rhodes (24:41)

Yeah, Grant planner. Sounds like a normal guy.

Grant Platner (24:44)

When I was growing up, I knew guys who saved up and sent their kids to college as clam diggers. And you can't do that anymore. That same guy's now taking shifts at Home Depot on top of Klamon, and

Ben Rhodes (24:57)

he's 30 years younger than Janet Mills, the governor of Maine, who's the preferred candidate of Chuck Schumer and the Democratic Campaign Committee. If you look at Michigan, Haley Stevens, very conventional politician, the preferred candidate of the DSCC. There are two candidates, Mallory McMorrow and Abdullah Sayed, who present as more normal authenticity.

Audience Member or Caller (25:16)

You present as who you are because there's no difference.

Podcast Sponsor Voice (25:19)

And this feels like a moment where people are electing people because they like

Audience Member or Caller (25:25)

them and they trust them.

Unknown Politician or Candidate (25:27)

And if you like who I am and you like what I stand for, and you think it would actually make your life better, vote for me. And if you don't, don't. But at the end of the day, at least you know where I stand and I stand on principle 10 toes down.

Ben Rhodes (25:37)

And by the way, this isn't a left center thing. This is just like a younger and more authentic kind of politician.

Sean Ramesh (25:44)

As someone who maybe worked for the previous generational politician in the Democratic Party.

Mysterious Guest or Commentator (25:50)

We tortured some folks.

Sean Ramesh (25:52)

Does it bum you out maybe that his being born in another country might limit how much of a generational politician he gets to become?

Ben Rhodes (26:00)

Yeah, in a lot of ways. I mean, I thought has crossed my mind. I will say it does make him like an interesting figure. Like we've never had a figure, at least in my recent memory. I'm sure we have in the long past. But who could end up being such a prominent politician at such a young age with a ceiling that is lower than the presidency? And what he chooses to do with that is quite interesting. Is it just I'm a New York City guy and that's what I'm doing. I'm running through the tape as mayor and then I want to work in the city. Is it I become a New York State politician? Is it that I become some kind of national figure separate from being president? I mean, it frees him of a burden in some respect because you've seen this with aoc, with any young politician. I mean, they're already talking about Ossoff in Georgia. If Talarico wins, they'll start talking about the presidency the next day. It frees him up where every move that he makes isn't being like, is he positioning himself to one day run for president? And so in that way, you know, something is lost, but something is potentially gained, too.

Sean Ramesh (27:17)

Ben Rhodes worked for Obama.

Mysterious Guest or Commentator (27:19)

We tortured some folks.

Sean Ramesh (27:20)

Now he's an author and he's got a pod. It's called pod Save the world. I'm Sean Ramis firm Arianna Aspuru made the show today. Amina Al Saadi edited Gabriel Donatoff factory Czech David Tadashore mixed and Miranda Kennedy was in the mix. This is Today explained.