Conservative political activist Riley Gaines has taunted New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani after he struggled to lift a 135-pound barbell during an event in the city.
The socialist front runner was spotted attending the annual Men’s Day open streets event in Brooklyn on Saturday.
Video shared on social media showed Mamdani, 33, was unable to lift a 135-pound barbell without assistance.
And the clip, which has since gone viral, has sparked brutal mocking, including from former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines.
‘I’m not saying we should judge politicians for how much they can bench but I’m absolutely judging a politician for how much he can bench,’ Gaines posted on social media.
In another post, Gaines, who has been an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump’s ‘Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports’ executive order, shared a video of herself performing a bench press.
Riley Gaines (left) has taunted New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani (right)
Mamdani, 33, seemingly struggled to bench a 135-pound weight over the weekend
‘165lb relatively easy reps on a bench when I weighed 130lbs… Take Note, @ZohranKMamdani,’ she wrote alongside the clip.
‘this was in 2022 and we still had to wear a chin diaper in the weight room lol,’ she added referring to the mandatory face masks worn during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mamdani, 33, shocked the political world when he defeated Andrew Cuomo to win the Democrat nomination to run the Big Apple, campaigning on far left policy and drawing controversy for his anti-Israel views.
However, he didn’t put on an equally strong display over the weekend. Dressed in an white collared long sleeve shirt, black slacks and dress shoes, Mamdani was cheered on by the crowd as he lay on the weightlifting bench.
‘This is how you move up in the polls,’ one onlooker shouted, encouraging the 33-year-old to lift the weight.
However, as he went to bench press the weight, Mamdani’s spotter never let go of the bar.
After two repetitions, the mayoral frontrunner stopped, got off the bench, thanked his spotter and left.
And Gaines wasn’t the only one to rip Mamdani over the footage with his political rival, Mayor Eric Adams, also piling on.
As he went to bench press the weight, Mamdani’s spotter never let go of the bar, sparking ridicule online
’64 vs. 33. A lifetime of hard work vs. a silver spoon. The results speak for themselves,’ Adams said.
‘The weight of the job is too heavy for “Mamscrawny.” The only thing he can lift is your taxes.’
Mamdani has campaigned on a series of woke policies that would drastically reshape the City that Never Sleeps.
He has said he wants to raise taxes on millionaires and corporations by $9 billion to subsidize his plans for fare-free buses, free child care and housing.
Mamdani, who is currently serving in the New York State Legislature, also wants to spend $65 million on transgender care and has pushed populist ideas including grocery stores that would be owned by the city.
Additionally, the controversial figure has advocated for defunding the city’s police department – but vowed to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he were to set foot in the Big Apple.
His main opponents in the general will be former governor Cuomo and current mayor Adams, both of whom are running as independents. Former US Attorney Jim Walden and Curtis Sliwa, the perennial Republican option, are also in the race.
Mamdani recently received some backlash for his extravagant wedding at his wealthy parents million-dollar compound in Uganda.
While he was in Uganda, his horrific anti-NYPD tweet reemerged in the wake of the Midtown mass shooting where four people were killed, including NYPD officer Didarul Islam, 36.
