Mamdani Borrows from Hegseth's PR Playbook

The NYC Mayor Blocked Traditional Media from his Presser Today

I didn’t vote for him, but was nonetheless prepared to give New York City’s new Muslim Socialist Mayor a little latitude to see if his promises of lifting up ALL New Yorkers might carry weight. But two things happened: 1) On Bluesky, I questioned a Mamdani-Brad Lander supporter’s denigration of Rep. Dan Goldman for not endorsing the Democratic candidate for Mayor. I think I said that I didn’t blame Goldman for refusing to endorse, given Mamdani’s history of anti-Israel rhetoric.

Well, the extreme left pounced on me, asserting that I’m repeating fake news, even though I linked to an interview the candidate gave on NBC's “Meet the Press” in which he purposely and repeatedly sidestepped the question of whether he would condemn the call for a “global intifada.”

The exchange got testy to a point where I directed my provocateur (a fellow Jew) to “take it to X or Threads” if he can’t be civil. Moreover, in my mind, Dan Goldman is a true patriot with the kahunas to take on Trump and the MAGA GOP. Not so sure about Brad Lander’s kahunas. Here’s what I said:

However, even more troubling is something that happened at a Mamdani presser today:

His PR team, led by a Bernie Sanders veteran, blocked all traditional media from covering the press event and instead offered access to a handpicked group of “influencers.”

If you weren’t aware, having a sizable social media following doesn’t make one a journalist. In fact, it likely makes you a biased advocate, not prone to holding those in power to account for their actions. The press conference was billed as a “new media” press conference, which gave the Mayor cover to fill the room with friendlies, while thwarting legit news organizations’ access and full public transparency.

Granted, few will deny the value of building one’s brand on TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram, but everyone can question this Mayor’s audacious ploy to spin his policies, no sticky questions asked. Google Gemini describes the event this way:

Yes, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani recently held an "influencer summit" where traditional media was largely excluded in favor of social media creators, a move seen as sidestepping traditional press, though not a formal ban, but signaling a shift in how he engages with media.

Call it what you will, but it smacks of Pete Hegseth’s banning legitimate news organizations from the Dept of Defense daily press briefings, papering the room with MAGA media and influencers only.

This is not encouraging, especially for a Democrat.