In June 2025, before Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City, he went on a popular internet show called Subway Takes. It’s what it sounds like: The show’s comedian host invites guests to join him on a subway car and then, as they rattle along, grills them about their hot takes on this and that subject. Mamdani was there to defend his take that he, a political newcomer, should run the city.
Ever charismatic, Mamdani cracked a joke at the host’s suggestion that he could simply lower the cost of matcha lattes to win over voters. Then they turned to a more serious subject: policing. The host pulled out a crumpled election mailer: “This says NYC can’t risk a mayor who supports defunding police,” he said.