New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani marked the opening of 50 city pools on Saturday by diving into the Thomas Jefferson Pool in East Harlem, fully clothed in a business suit. The event was intended to highlight expanded free swim programs and the historical significance of the city's Works Progress Administration-era outdoor pools.
Mamdani's splash quickly evolved into a political exchange with Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County Executive and a Republican candidate for New York governor. The confrontation arose after Blakeman made controversial remarks about Democratic congressional candidate Brad Lander.
Following Lander's primary victory in New York's 10th congressional district, Blakeman stated in an interview with Newsmax that Lander "would be a camp guard in a concentration camp if he could." Mamdani, defending Lander, who he described as a "proud Jewish New Yorker," called Blakeman's comments "unacceptable and unconscionable." Mamdani characterized the comparison to a Nazi prison guard as "disgusting" and indicative of a Republican Party seeking to "dehumanize anyone they disagree with."
Blakeman responded to Mamdani's demands for an apology, asserting that the mayor lacks credibility. "This is coming from the same guy who wouldn’t march in the Israel Day Parade, called AIPAC members ‘monsters,’ and canceled the Puerto Rican Day Breakfast," Blakeman told Fox News Digital. "Zohran Mamdani has no credibility. He is a bigot, an antisemite, and anti-American."