Watch: Peter Navarro mocks Zohran Mamdani with workout video; quips it ‘takes a village to bench press 135 lbs’

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro joined the wave of criticism against New York mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani after the Democratic Socialist politician’s failed bench press attempt at a Men’s Day event in Brooklyn went viral.

On Monday, Navarro posted a video on X showing himself performing dumbbell curls, with the caption, “With Mamdani, it apparently takes a village to bench press 135 lbs.”


In the clip, Navarro ridiculed Mamdani’s effort. “I don’t know what it is with all these liberal woke guys, but I saw that Mamdani guy from New York trying to impress us with his bench press. I mean, I can’t figure that out. That guy couldn’t even bench press his weight, which was pathetic,” Navarro said.


Mocking Mamdani’s political ideology, he added: “And I’m twice his age. I don’t know what this guy’s going to be doing when he’s my age. He’ll probably be running the Karl Marx Circus in San Francisco because they ran him out of New York. Anyway, this one’s for you, Mamdani. Mmm, yeah, baby.”

The jab follows Mamdani’s ill-fated attempt on last week’s Saturday to bench press a 135-pound barbell in front of a crowd. Videos from the event showed his spotter never letting go of the bar, guiding the weight through two assisted reps before Mamdani stood up, thanked the helper, and walked away.

The incident quickly snowballed online, with political rivals taking turns at mockery. New York Mayor Eric Adams reposted an old video of himself pressing the same weight, writing: “64 vs 33. A lifetime of hard work vs. a silver spoon. The results speak for themselves.” He further quipped, “The weight of the job is too heavy for ‘Mamscrawny.’ The only thing he can lift is your taxes.”

Former Governor Andrew Cuomo piled on as well, saying, “It’s easy to talk, it’s hard to carry the burden. This guy can’t bench his own body weight, let alone carry the weight of leading the most important city in the world.”

Mamdani’s supporters, however, dismissed the criticism as petty. One user wrote: “Public service should be about policy and integrity, not proving strength in a gym setting.”

The failed lift has become a meme-worthy moment in New York politics, with Navarro’s entry ensuring the ridicule now stretches well beyond city limits.

Select The Times of India as your preferred source on Google Search