Former President Barack Obama offered tacit approval of Mayor Zohran Mamdani‘s agenda over the weekend as the two men met for the first time at a Bronx child care center.
After having a private conversation, the two men led a sing-along with children, performing the “Wheels on the Bus” at the Learning Through Play Pre-K Center in the South Bronx and reading the book Alone and Together. The connection between the two men, viewed as two of the Democratic Party’s most influential leaders, comes after the former president called Mamdani and offered to be a sounding board for him, according to the Associated Press. They spoke on the phone in November, days before Mamdani became the first Democratic socialist to sit in City Hall.
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At one point on Saturday, Obama asked the children if they knew the name of the current president. “Mamdani,” some of the kids replied, sparking laughter. Another light-hearted moment played out when Obama asked kids if they knew what Mamdani’s first name was and they said “mayor.”
“This is what we need, making an investment in these amazing kids,” Obama told reporters as he and Mamdani left the center. “Thank you for the good work, everybody who’s doing this terrific program.”
Limited details were available about their high-profile meeting on Saturday, as the pair did not take questions from reporters and the event was not open to the press, sparking some criticism from local Republicans.
Councilwoman Joann Ariola said City Hall’s selective release of information is “right out of the communist dictator playbook,” according to the New York Post.
“A mayor should be welcoming coverage by the free press when doing something as big as meeting with a former president,” she said. “Instead, we’re seeing access restricted so that the party’s message is amplified and opposing voices are removed from the conversation.
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“This is a slap in the face to journalists everywhere and sends a clear message: spread Dear Leader’s propaganda, or you don’t get a seat at Mamdani’s table,” Ariola continued. “Unless he believes that walling himself off with a team of zealots and providing limited access to hand-picked reporters for propaganda pieces is fair and open government administration, he’s been about as transparent as London fog.”
The meeting came shortly after Mamdani marked his 100th day in office. The mayor’s office said the two men discussed Mamdani’s “vision for the City—on where New York’s Cutest have the strongest start possible.”
