Mayor Mamdani's administration has cultivated a network of social media influencers to amplify its message, but an exposé in the Columbia Journalism Review highlights concerns about the extreme and often violent views expressed by some individuals within this group.
While the mayor's administration has been scrutinized for its use of influencers, the nature of the content shared by these individuals has drawn particular attention. Some influencers associated with Mamdani's outreach efforts have posted content that includes celebrating the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a "Gestapo," and expressing apologies for terrorist attacks.
These influencers, operating through a "NYC Creators Announcements" group chat on the encrypted messaging platform Signal, receive daily updates and talking points from the mayor's office. The initiative is reportedly led by Emilia Rowland, the mayor's director of New Media and Cultural Communications. Previously, messages in this chat were set to auto-delete, a practice that may violate state record-keeping laws.
Rowland stated that the Mayor's office has not paid any content creators or influencers and engages broadly with individuals who may hold differing views. However, an analysis of 33 identifiable influencers in the group chat found that 18 lean left or far-left, while 15 post primarily nonpolitical content with occasional political commentary.
Among the influencers cited for extreme rhetoric is Christina Brown, who uses the handle @missxtinab on Instagram. Her posts have reportedly included comments such as "violence was an answer" regarding Kirk's assassination and suggestions that ICE agents should be poisoned. Brown has also expressed strong anti-American sentiments and described Christianity as a "religion of white supremacy."
Megan Klink, co-founder of @prettyinformedgirls, has reportedly told her followers that "America has mass concentration camps" and referred to ICE as a "f–king Gestapo." Cassie Willson, who has appeared in videos with the mayor, has posted content such as "Free Palestine, f–k Donald Trump . . . billionaires shouldn’t exist, f–k fascism." Some influencers have also used satire to convey extreme messages, such as a video suggesting one should "unalive"—or kill—a girlfriend working for ICE.
Matt Bernstein, who has over 2.4 million Instagram followers, has reportedly stated that "Israel is the only safe space for queer people in the Middle East . . . because they bomb all the other ones" and explained that "violence begets violence" in relation to an attack on a Michigan synagogue. Bernstein has also participated in protests against U.S. support for Israel.
The report highlights the growing role of online influencers in American politics, with a significant percentage of younger adults relying on these sources for news. Political campaigns are increasingly utilizing influencers, though the disclosure of paid relationships can be inconsistent.
Kaitlyn Hennessy, a content creator, noted that undisclosed paid political content is widespread. She also pointed to instances where influencers' opportunities for future sponsorships can be affected by their political messaging.
The Mamdani administration has acknowledged that the use of auto-deleting messages on the Signal chat violated state law. The City Council has scheduled an oversight meeting on the matter for September 22 and plans to introduce legislation to clarify the roles and responsibilities of influencers engaged with public officials.