Zohran Mamdani fails at bench press while trying to show-off at Men’s Day in Brooklyn - Photos showed the 33-year-old Socialist, and Democratic Party nominee, was unable to lift a bar loaded with what was said to be 135-pounds off the rack without help

https://nypost.com/2025/08/23/us-news/zohran-mamdani-fails-to-bench-press-meagre-weight-while-trying-to-show-off-at-annual-mens-day-in-brooklyn/

At least we know he won’t be a strongman leader.

Mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani struggled to execute a single unassisted bench press rep while trying to impress a crowd at the annual Men’s Day open streets event in Brooklyn Saturday.

Photos showed the 33-year-old Socialist, and Democratic Party nominee, was unable to lift a bar loaded with what was said to be 135-pounds off the rack without help — and his two reps required full assistance from a smiling, large-biceped Men’s Day celebrant, photos showed.

After throwing in the towel, Mamdani stood up and gave all the credit to the spotter, who was from the organization “500 Men Making a Difference.”

The 2025 frontrunner for mayor also walked down Eastern Parkway as part of an Open Streets event, taking hundreds of selfies as he passed the Brooklyn Museum.

While he may have floundered at the test of strength, Mamdani showed some skill with the soccer ball, the national sport of Uganda, where he was born and recently married.

Video showed Mamdani taking off his designer boots to more expertly kick the stranger’s soccer ball at an inflatable target.

After ditching the boots, he vigorously kicked a soccer ball at a giant inflatable dart board set up by organizers at the open streets event near the Brooklyn Museum.

Mamdani also dropped in on a DJ’s set and delivered remarks to dozens of Brooklynites.

“It is such a pleasure to be here, and I want to say thank you to the organizers for celebrating what makes this community beautiful,” Mamdani said in brief remarks.

“I look forward to being your next mayor, next year,” he concluded.

Men’s Day is an annual open streets featuring outdoor gyms, music performances, and car shows that occurs towards the end of each summer.

 

[Gandhi's Left Hook]

2 to 3 would be my guess. New York City residents are retarded, but this has a similar feel to 2018 Beto-Cruz Senate race. Beto had all the momentum but because he was a spergy libtard who wouldn’t shut up he lost. Zohran will probably say something super retarded (my guess is something sympathizing with 9/11 attackers) and New York City will not want him.

He might get sunk by his own party too. It's hilarious how progressives pitch the most retarded ideas while in office and then are shocked when a retard from the masses steps up and goes "I'll do that!" They need about 10 more years of unfettered illegal immigration before they can start pushing straight communism.

 

[Kankichi Ryotsu]

why did he even try knowing he couldn't do it?

 

[Mister Fister]

Most men who don't lift can't bench 2 plates. Newbies in the gym usually start with less than that and they struggle to keep the bar straight.

EDIT: People were ripping on Tyson Fury recently for his shit bench press. I think it was about 200lbs. He's a 6'7 elite level athlete but if you don't bench regularly, the strength just won't be there.

Bench press really sucks for those tall with long arms.

 

[deleuzeon]

why did he even try knowing he couldn't do it?

Someone already made this guess earlier but I'm betting a staffer looked up beginner weight loads and went with a very safe option, to hilarious results.

 

[YouTube Autist]

why did he even try knowing he couldn't do it?

Are we talking about the weightlifting?

 

[Officer Balls]

Who cares lol. The only thing that should matter is the content of his policies. Thinking that this is politically significant—that this signifies a lack of virility (and that that is something shameful)—is just downright stupid and plays into the neocon/populist playbook.

If you really hate socialism so much as an ideology, at least have an intellectual reasoning for your opposition to it rather than being petty with character assassination attempts like this instead of addressing the true object of resentment.

 

[deleuzeon]

Who cares lol. The only thing that should matter is the content of his policies. Thinking that this is politically significant—that this signifies a lack of virility (and that that is something shameful)—is just downright stupid and plays into the neocon/populist playbook.

If you really hate socialism so much as an ideology, at least have an intellectual reasoning for your opposition to it rather than being petty with character assassination attempts like this instead of addressing the true object of resentment.

We've already dominated his ideas in the court of public opinion, happened honestly over a hundred years ago. Since he's running on a dead and discredited ideology we might as well use ad hominem attacks. Fuck him.

 

[frozen_runner]

My prediction: he's so vain that he'll take up lifting just so he can have a re-do later in his campaign run.

 

[George Lucas]

None of those reps are even valid. Hips off the bench, half ROM (bar must touch chest,) spotters hands on the bar the whole time. Other than technically achieving 0 reps between them, both lifters have dogshit form. For one example they have poor grip:
View attachment 7823148View attachment 7823149
The lifter on the right, from Starting Strength's bench press guide (say what you want about Rippetoe but it's a good video,) has their arm internally rotated so the bar sits on the base of the palm. Having the bar that far up in your hand bleeds out a lot of force. Zohran also looks like he would've been pinned with the bar potentially on his throat if not for the spotter gripping for dear life.
View attachment 7823185
Just embarassing overall. It'd actually be less embarassing to see them learning to bench the bar (45lbs) with good form and no assistance than pretending to bench 135.

It’s not anywhere near his throat. Look at the shadows. Video can be deceiving because it’s 2D.

 

[Blissed]

why did he even try knowing he couldn't do it?

Because he's never touched a weight in his life and overestimated his Marx-inspired strength.

He really exemplifies the idea that collectivists are collectivist because they are the weaklings of society.

 

[CharlesBarkley]

Who cares lol. The only thing that should matter is the content of his policies. Thinking that this is politically significant—that this signifies a lack of virility (and that that is something shameful)—is just downright stupid and plays into the neocon/populist playbook.

If you really hate socialism so much as an ideology, at least have an intellectual reasoning for your opposition to it rather than being petty with character assassination attempts like this instead of addressing the true object of resentment.

Why would I trust someone to give me political advice and leadership when he can't even bench-press a toddler or take care of his body? I care a ton - Health and exercise are signs of willpower, fortitude, and help not only the body but the mind.

It's like some fat, lazy retard Reddit man who looks like he can't even make his bed, trying to provide his "sagely" advice on the world. No one gives a shit, that fat fuck nigger can't take care of himself, why does he think he can direct or take care of anyone else?

 

[KrumBum]

Who cares lol. The only thing that should matter is the content of his policies. Thinking that this is politically significant—that this signifies a lack of virility (and that that is something shameful)—is just downright stupid and plays into the neocon/populist playbook.

If you really hate socialism so much as an ideology, at least have an intellectual reasoning for your opposition to it rather than being petty with character assassination attempts like this instead of addressing the true object of resentment.

My intellectual reasoning for hating Communism: It's retarded and gay. I will not elaborate. ::benches without assistance::

 

[pisswomble]

Every single untrained man massively overestimates how much they're going to be able to bench.

Every trained man adds extra on how much they can do when they tell you their numbers as well.

 

[Jimjamflimflam]

Who cares lol. The only thing that should matter is the content of his policies. Thinking that this is politically significant—that this signifies a lack of virility (and that that is something shameful)—is just downright stupid and plays into the neocon/populist playbook.

If you really hate socialism so much as an ideology, at least have an intellectual reasoning for your opposition to it rather than being petty with character assassination attempts like this instead of addressing the true object of resentment.

>arms that can't bench 100lb typed this post

 

[Eventide]

If he's ever photographed eating a slice of pizza using both hands, it's fucking over.

His prissy jeet ass probably eats pizza with a fork and knife, as is incompetent NYC socialist mayor tradition:

 

[Officer Balls]

My intellectual reasoning for hating Communism: It's retarded and gay. I will not elaborate. ::benches without assistance::

Notice how all those comprising the intelligentsia class conform to some flavour of socialism; that conservatism has been laughed out of virtually every academic institution here in the West. Of course, you probably think that higher education is just a means of indoctrination and that you are a lone wolf autodidact going his own way by eschewing it. Further notice how even the most right-leaning women (such as the supposed ones on this forum) are put off by some of the, say, racist rhetoric that gets thrown around here (yet, in your mind, they're all vapid whores who don't know what's good for them, I'm sure).

Face the music, if you will: you are a white male that has been radicalised by the powers that be to be paranoid of everyone and everything that could possibly be a threat to your privilege. You are not an intellectual, but rather uneducated; if you actually have a post-secondary degree, it's more than likely STEM, considering your apparent, deliberate avoidance of the humanities. You know that pursuing liberal arts, even just on your own time, would pose ideas and propositions antithetical to whatsoever you have been made to believe hitherto. Thus, you have assumed a bulwark of anti-intellectualism to protect your fragile character from analaytical systems that center themselves on appreciating the welfare of the collective whole instead of reinforcing the power structures that you benefit from every day. Such ideologies include radical feminism, Marxism, and CRT, to name a few.

You have secluded yourself to fringe communities online to vent your frustration to your fellow angry white men; to escape the world that has rightfully rejected your self-aggrandising views based solely on vibes and not theory. Fellating one another, you validate each other's sentiments, and take articles/studies, from tabloids or, occassionally, from cherrypicked unbiased sources, to share amongst yourselves, reaffirming what you have already decided to be true in your heads, and having it that your myopic worldview should only become more narrow, more absolute, and more abstracted from reality. Ironically, in doing so, you go against the spirit that this same website was founded with: to mock and make an example of, in stone, reactionary freaks like you.

It is not too late to stop the ship from sailing, but it only becomes more and more hopeless the longer you stare into the abyss. Turn off the computer, take a shower, and do a little self reflection for God's sake—for your own sake, lest you become the very creature that this board holds in morbid curiosity.

 

[jertzog]

why did he even try knowing he couldn't do it?

Leftchud leadership all have messiah complexes.
I normally don't shame people who can't even lift anything light like 1pl8, even if they deserve it. This anti-White coil of shit does though. Jeet genes strike again.

 

[Mister Fister]

Notice how all those comprising the intelligentsia class conform to some flavour of socialism; that conservatism has been laughed out of virtually every academic institution here in the West. Of course, you probably think that higher education is just a means of indoctrination and that you are a lone wolf autodidact going his own way by eschewing it. Further notice how even the most right-leaning women (such as the supposed ones on this forum) are put off by some of the, say, racist rhetoric that gets thrown around here (yet, in your mind, they're all vapid whores who don't know what's good for them, I'm sure).

Fail troll is a failure

 

[Officer Balls]

Fail troll is a failure

You might as well cry harder, faggot. I can taste the evident tears this post was typed with.

 

[Gorton Colu]

Leftchud leadership all have messiah complexes.
I normally don't shame people who can't even lift anything light like 1pl8, even if they deserve it. This anti-White coil of shit does though. Jeet genes strike again.

I got to see Obama try and hoop at my local gym when he was campaigning in '08. Guy was absolutely trash, but all the then white boomers ate it up.

My buddies and I got kicked off the court, so that retard oreo could awkwardly double dribble and miss wide open 8 foot shots.

Leftists cannot help themselves with this shit.