New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani showed up to Thomas Jefferson Pool in East Harlem on Saturday, June 27, to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the city's public pool program. He was wearing a full suit.
"Thank you to Goodwill. We appreciate the suit that we got," Mamdani told the crowd, the vain Mayor had to make sure everyone knew that he wouldn't dare ruin one of his expensive suits, oh no, he thrifted that suit so ruining it wasn't a big deal.
The pool stunt was supposed to be the story. It wasn't. What came next turned a quirky photo-op into a full political brawl. Mamdani used the event to demand an apology from Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican gubernatorial candidate, over comments Blakeman made about Brad Lander, the Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidate who just won a congressional primary in New York's 10th district.
Blakeman had called Lander "a disgrace" and said Lander, who is Jewish, "would be a camp guard in a concentration camp if he could" — a reference to Lander's association with DSA-aligned candidates, including Darializa Avila Chevalier, who accused Israel of "genocide."
Blakeman's also revealed how he feels about Mayor Mamdani, "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. Zohran Mamdani has no credibility. He is a bigot, an antisemite, and anti-American."
Mamdani called Blakeman's comments "unacceptable and unconscionable" and labeled the concentration camp comparison "disgusting." He wants an apology.
Blakeman does not appear inclined to provide one.
Here's what Mamdani didn't address while demanding that apology: Lander's primary win in the 10th congressional district was backed by DSA, an organization whose candidates have openly accused Israel of genocide. Dan Goldman, the incumbent Jewish congressman Lander defeated, lost to a candidate running on that platform. Blakeman's rhetoric was sharp, but the underlying concern — that DSA-backed politicians are normalizing antisemitic positions — isn't something you can wave away by jumping into a swimming pool.
Mamdani himself has a record that makes the outrage ring hollow. Refusing to march in the Israel Day Parade. Calling AIPAC members "monsters." Canceling the Puerto Rican Day Breakfast. These aren't allegations from opposition research. They're things he did.
The 90th anniversary of New York's public pool program is genuinely worth celebrating. The pools were a progressive achievement in the original sense — public infrastructure built for working families in a sweltering city. Marking the occasion with a cannonball is harmless fun.
But using a pool party to demand an apology from a Republican while your own political coalition platforms candidates who call Israeli self-defense "genocide" is a different kind of performance. It's the political equivalent of jumping into something fully clothed — you get wet, everyone stares, and you haven't actually accomplished anything.
Mamdani wants Blakeman to apologize for his language. Blakeman wants Mamdani to explain his record. One of them showed up in a Goodwill suit. The other showed up with receipts.