President Franklin D. Roosevelt had fireside chats. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has a Twitch stream.
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Mamdani, whose ascent to City Hall was fueled in part by a savvy digital media strategy, plans to launch a livestream series called “Talk with the People” on Thursday afternoon, his office said. The series will originate on Twitch, a livestreaming service popular among video gamers, but it will also be available on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and other major social platforms.
“With the launch of ‘Talk with the People’ we’re bringing City Hall to the platforms where New Yorkers already are — speaking directly with the people,” Mamdani said in a statement.
“By launching the country’s first recurring cross-platform stream hosted by an elected official, where I’ll answer New Yorkers’ questions live on Twitch, we’re opening up a direct line of conversation between our government and the people, especially younger generations who’ve been ignored for too long,” he said.
Mamdani’s show illustrates one of the realities of the modern media environment: Politicians can reach constituents and voters directly through social media channels and do not necessarily need to rely on intermediaries such as broadcast or cable news. Mamdani has drawn attention for his energetic use of social platforms and nontraditional media.
Twitch first rose to prominence as a platform where video gamers could livestream themselves, but it has since expanded to encompass other interests, including politics. It is closely associated with Hasan Piker, a progressive political commentator.
Mamdani teased the debut of “Talk with the People” on X, posting a photo of himself seated in front of microphones bearing the logos of popular social apps alongside a photo of Roosevelt delivering one of his famed radio addresses. “5.21.26. 4:10PM. Live,” Mamdani wrote.
The title of Mamdani’s new series was inspired by a 1940s radio broadcast hosted by New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. LaGuardia’s Sunday broadcast “Talk to the People” premiered in January 1942 and ran until he left office in December 1945, according to the U.S. Library of Congress.
LaGuardia used “the most cutting-edge technology of his era to break through traditional gatekeepers and connect with working people across the city,” Mamdani’s office said in a news release. “Today, Mayor Mamdani is building on that legacy for a new generation.”
