{"id":456648,"date":"2026-02-08T16:22:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T16:22:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/456648\/"},"modified":"2026-02-08T16:22:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T16:22:07","slug":"rightwing-critics-blame-mamdani-as-new-york-snow-fails-to-melt-zohran-mamdani","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/456648\/","title":{"rendered":"Rightwing critics blame Mamdani as New York snow fails to melt | Zohran Mamdani"},"content":{"rendered":"

It snowed two weeks ago in New York<\/a>. Since then, the temperature has barely risen above freezing \u2013 a temperature science naturally dictates is necessary to melt snow and ice.<\/p>\n

But science isn\u2019t enough for some US political critics, however, who have instead blamed Zohran Mamdani<\/a>, New York\u2019s new socialist mayor, for the snow not having melted and still clogging up some of the city\u2019s streets.<\/p>\n

The New York Post, the rightwing tabloid and a frequent Mamdani critic, has led the charge. This week the newspaper claimed<\/a> that \u201cslushy streets\u201d were \u201cruining travel for everyone\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew Yorkers are feeling left out in the cold more than a week after fierce Winter Storm Fern dumped over a foot of snow on the city \u2013 and left behind iceberg-sized snow piles blocking roadways, bike lanes, sidewalks and parking spots,\u201d the Post said.<\/p>\n

The newspaper found and interviewed several people who blamed Mamdani for the fact snow was on the ground, including one man who complained that he had fallen off his bicycle due to ice.<\/p>\n

Kelly Jane Torrance, the New York Post\u2019s editor-at-large, went on Sky News Australia<\/a> on Thursday to double down on the criticism. \u201cIt\u2019s just incredible how badly he has mismanaged his very first snowstorm,\u201d Torrance said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe snow is still here. A lot of it. It\u2019s \u2026 we\u2019ve got record cold temperatures really in the next day or so,\u201d she added. The mayor of New York has little power over the temperature of the city.<\/p>\n

Calling Mamdani \u201cpro-criminal\u201d, Torrance suggested that New York is \u201cfacing this possible breakdown in public order\u201d.<\/p>\n

On Monday, the New York police department reported that January, Mamdani\u2019s first month in office, saw record low crime figures for New York, with the fewest murders, shootings, and shooting victims in the city\u2019s history<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The snow-related criticism spread among social media users. On Threads, a user called @lowerdeckmike, who has regularly posted content criticizing Mamdani, posted a picture of some snow and wrote<\/a>: \u201cMore than a week after 11 o ches [inches] of snow fell on Manhattan. It\u2019s still all on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michael Rapaport, an actor who in 2001 appeared in Dr Doolittle 2 and now hosts a podcast, has been a frequent critic of Mamdani.<\/p>\n

On Monday, Rapaport posted a video of him walking around New York and wrote<\/a>: \u201cA week after the snowstorm and this is what we got Zoron the Shoveler! Filthy black snow, garbage soup, ice rinks on every corner, cars buried like fossils. People slipping, breaking ankles, nobody shoveling, nobody salting, nobody doing SH*T.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rapaport added: \u201cThis is New York City. Three minutes from the mayor\u2019s house. Start spreading the news\u2026 this place is a dirty snow covered dump. Clean it the f*** up Mayor!\u201d<\/p>\n

The message did not serve as the rallying cry that Rapaport might have hoped.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s up with the trend of every influencer republican jumping on mamdani for the snow piling up? Real NYers know whenever it snows nyc looks like this\u2026 duhhh way before Zohran,\u201d one person responded to his post.<\/p>\n

Another wrote: \u201cIf you pooped your pants would you blame the Mayor??\u201d<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t deter Rapaport. On Thursday he posted a video<\/a> showing snow on a New York street.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need to know who\u2019s responsible for the dog doo doo,\u201d Rapaport said, as he trained his camera on what appeared to be dog feces. \u201cWho\u2019s responsible for the dirty, disgusting, sloppy snow 10 days since the storm?\u201d<\/p>\n

Rapaport, 55, added: \u201cWhy is every step off the curb risking your life?\u201d<\/p>\n

Debra Messing, the Will & Grace actor who posted Islamophobic content<\/a> about Mamdani during his mayoral campaign, was also upset.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe streets are a disaster. It hasn\u2019t snowed in 5 days and the streets still haven\u2019t been cleared,\u201d she wrote on social media<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve lived here for 15 years (this go around) and this has never happened. The plows have always worked around the clock to get the city back to working.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, the past 15 years have seen other mayors criticized for their response to the snow. Bill de Blasio was accused of neglecting the wealthy Upper East Side in the wake of a storm in 2014, instead giving Brooklyn and Queens snow-plowing priority, while his predecessor Michael Bloomberg faced scrutiny when some streets went unplowed for days following 20in of snow.<\/p>\n

On Friday, Mamdani told Hot 97<\/a> the issue is \u201cnot just the snowstorm, but the cold front\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cTypically after snow falls in New York City we\u2019ll have the temperatures rise, we\u2019ll have the sun assist with melting the snow. Instead what we\u2019ve seen is the snow becoming harder, it turning into ice,\u201d the mayor explained.<\/p>\n

He said 2,500 sanitation workers were working 12-hour shifts to remove snow and collect garbage.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to continue until every single street is clean and clear in this city, because that\u2019s what New Yorkers deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n