Overview

• The mayoral frontrunner attempted a bench press at Saturday’s Men’s Day open-streets event in Brooklyn and did not complete an unassisted rep.
• Photos and video show he needed a spotter to help with two repetitions on the lift.
• The bar was reported by outlets to weigh about 135 pounds, a detail not independently verified in the coverage.
• Mamdani credited the helper, identified as a participant from the community group 500 Men Making a Difference.
• After the clip circulated widely with disparaging posts on X, coverage also noted he continued engaging at the event with selfies, a soccer demonstration, and brief remarks about his mayoral bid.