Mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani found himself at the center of ridicule on Saturday after struggling to complete a single unassisted bench press rep at Brooklyn’s annual Men’s Day open streets event. The 33-year-old Socialist and Democratic nominee attempted to lift a bar reportedly weighing 135 pounds but was unable to get it off the rack without help. Photos from the event showed that both of Mamdani’s attempted reps required full assistance from a smiling participant with large biceps.
Eric Adams Takes Dig At Zohran Mamdani
After conceding defeat, Mamdani credited his spotter from the organization “500 Men Making a Difference,” thanking him for stepping in.
Mamdani’s stumble quickly turned into political fodder. Mayor Eric Adams’ campaign mocked him on social media, dubbing him “Mamscrawny” and posting a video of Adams completing his own bench press reps at the same event.
Lolll Mamdani tried showing off at a “men’s day” event by doing the bench press and couldn’t do a single rep without help pic.twitter.com/JNG2SLBfI9
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) August 24, 2025
“67 vs. 33. A lifetime of hard work vs. a silver spoon. The results speak for themselves,” read a post from Adams’ campaign account, erricadamsfornyc, which mistakenly listed the mayor’s age as 67. Adams, in fact, is 64 and will turn 65 on September 1.
“The weight of the job is too heavy for ‘Mamscrawny.’ The only thing he can lift is your taxes,” Adams’ team added in the post.
64 vs. 33. A lifetime of hard work vs. a silver spoon. The results speak for themselves.
The weight of the job is too heavy for “Mamscrawny.” The only thing he can lift is your taxes. pic.twitter.com/HR6fDPKn0B
— Eric Adams (@ericadamsfornyc) August 24, 2025
Eric Adams Facing Corruption Charges
While Adams sought to highlight Mamdani’s failed lift, the mayor himself continued to face mounting questions over corruption scandals involving close allies and campaign figures.
Former top aide Ingrid Lewis-Martin was accused last week of running a wide-ranging corruption scheme that allegedly traded political favors for $75,000 in bribes. Prosecutors claimed the scheme included payouts in the form of seafood and even a role alongside actor Forest Whitaker.
In another incident, campaign volunteer and ex-aide Winne Greco allegedly handed reporter Katie Honan a potato-chip bag filled with $300 in cash at a campaign event. Honan immediately rejected the money, but the episode has fueled further controversy.
What Former Governor David Paterson Said About Eric Adams
Former Governor David Paterson, who endorsed Adams last week, defended the mayor on Sunday but acknowledged that the scandals are hurting his reelection bid.
“I have tremendous respect for the mayor. I have backed him up many times. I have even let it go when things happen,” Paterson said on WABC 770 AM’s “Cats Roundtable.”
“But what happens in campaigns is you get nicked to death. And that’s what’s happening to [Adams]. Every time it appears that he’s gaining some momentum – and none of this was his fault – somebody affiliated with him, something happens,” Paterson told host John Catsimatidis.
Paterson added that Adams’ poll numbers remain weak and that the potato-chip cash scandal “didn’t help the situation at all.”
“I was happy to endorse him because he’s the type of friend you endorse no matter what the polls say. But [the scandal] didn’t help,” he concluded.
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Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
