Critics were left cringing after Mayor Zohran Mamdani threw himself a goofy celebration marking his first 100 days in office — complete with a “museum” that included Hizzoner’s phony trash from a Taco Bell meal.
The pomp-filled love fest to the fledgling mayor — which unfolded as the Democratic socialist faces a $5.4 billion projected budget — included a strange “100 Day Address Museum,” which included a chunk of asphalt that had something to do with filling potholes, a miniature podium from a February announcement about a city-run daycare program — and an old Taco Bell bag and drink apparently saved from March social media event.
City Hall later said the trash was not the actual rubbish from the event, but was staged for the “museum.”
“The theatrical production this weekend was on brand for a man who seems to believe that being mayor of the nation’s largest city is just like being a TikTok star,” Councilmember David Carr (R-Staten Island) told The Post Monday — one day after the confetti had been swept up from the bash.
“It’s all a sleight of hand to distract from the fact that the only thing he has accomplished so far is proving all of his doubters right,” Carr added.
Mamdani, 34, invited his comrades out to the Knockdown Center concert hall in Queens Sunday evening, where he headlined with a back-patting speech that dished out a fresh helping of lofty lefty promises — and also doubled down on his commitment to govern as a socialist.
“I know there are many who use socialists as a dirty word, something to be ashamed of,” Mamdani said at one point. “They can try all they want, but we will not be ashamed of using government to fight for the many, not simply the few.”
The mayor spent time talking about all the potholes he’d filled and streets he’d repaved, promised to make city buses drive faster, and finally announced a timeline to open his city-owned discount grocery stories — revealing he’d unveil the first one in East Harlem in 2027, and the other four he’s planned before his first term ends in 2029.
But his critics weren’t buying the rhetoric — and were even less interested in the fanfare.
“The Mayor tried hard to paint a positive picture, but every day New Yorkers aren’t seeing any real changes,” Councilmember Joann Ariola (R-Queens) said. “What we are seeing are machete attacks on the subway, bombs at Gracie Mansion, and a deterioration of public safety.
“He’s focusing so much on his hollow socialist campaign promises and forgetting that most people just want to get to and from work without worrying about a machete in their back,” she added.
In addition to the speech itself was the museum and its Taco Bell trash, a callback to his “mukbang”-style Youtube video where he and Department of Consumer and Worker Protections Commissioner Sam Levine ate fast food to announce a $1.5 million settlement against Taco Bell and Dunkin.
To coincide with the party, Mamdani also rolled out an interactive website where the faithful can scroll through a map of the city to track the events of his first 100 days, a site which is filled with numerous pictures of Mamdani smiling with kids or shoveling dirt in a hardhat.
Socialist Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders even turned out to toot Mamdani’s horn — but not all the city’s lefties are on the mayor’s side after his first 100 days, and especially after Sunday’s party.
“With Mayor Mamdani, there isn’t a rhyme or reason to anything he does,” one senior Democratic operative quipped about the night.
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