Jimmy Kimmel Asks Zohran Mamdani How 'Destruction of New York' Is Going

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel asked New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani how "the complete and total destruction of New York" was going. The joke took aim at the warnings of ruin that have followed the democratic socialist since his 2025 primary win.

The audience cheered, and Kimmel pointed to that reception as a verdict on the mayor's tenure.

"I think this means you're doing a good job," Kimmel said. "I have to tell you, I live in Los Angeles."

As the crowd cheered again, he added, "That is not the reception our mayor would get."

Then he asked the question: "So how is the complete and total destruction of New York going?"

Who Predicted Mamdani Would Destroy New York

Kimmel named no one in the question, but warnings of ruin under Mamdani have a long paper trail.

On July 2, 2025, President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social, "As President of the United States, I'm not going to let this Communist Lunatic destroy New York."

Former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who lost to Mamdani in both the primary and the general election, told Fox Business on October 29, 2025, that the city "will not survive that as we know it, and it will not recover for a long time."

Trump brought the theme back in April. After Mamdani proposed a pied-à-terre tax on non-resident secondary homes valued above $5 million, the president posted on Truth Social, "Sadly, Mayor Mamdani is DESTROYING New York! It has no chance!"

Mamdani's Record: Crime, Rent Freeze and Free Buses

The crime numbers so far work against the gloomiest forecasts. Through the first seven months of 2026, the NYPD recorded 149 murders and 381 shooting incidents, both the lowest in the city's recorded history, NY1 reported. Murders were down 22.8 percent from the year before, and major crime fell 6.6 percent. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch credited the department's "data-driven precision policing strategy."

Mamdani has kept his best-known housing promise. In June, the Rent Guidelines Board, which Mamdani had reshaped by appointing six of its nine members, voted to freeze rents on about 1 million rent-stabilized apartments. The freeze covers both one- and two-year leases and takes effect Thursday, Time reported. The mayor called the vote "a historic victory for New York City tenants."

His other signature pledges have moved more slowly. In an interview with Politico, Mamdani acknowledged that fare-free buses would not arrive in 2026 because of funding obstacles. He had already set a longer horizon in January, saying, "by the time I'm finished being mayor, they're going to be free." A spokesperson for the mayor held to that timeline: "Mayor Mamdani is committed to delivering fast and free buses by the time he leaves office, full stop."

No city-owned grocery store has opened yet. The first, in Hunts Point in the Bronx, is expected next year. A store at East Harlem's La Marqueta is planned for 2029, and the city puts the five-store program's cost at $70 million, Time reported.

Mamdani Approval Rating in New York

On the whole, voters in the mayor's own city agree with Kimmel's crowd. A Siena poll of likely New York State voters, conducted September 11-17, found New York City voters viewed Mamdani favorably by 60 percent to 31 percent.

Statewide, the picture is closer. Voters split 46 percent favorable to 44 percent unfavorable, little changed from 47-44 in August. Democrats gave him a 73-18 rating.

What Comes Next for Mamdani

The rent freeze starts Thursday. The free-bus pledge is still waiting on funding, and the city is still identifying locations for grocery stores in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. How those efforts turn out will test the forecasts of ruin and the cheers alike.

Siena found voters, by 50 percent to 30 percent, expect Mamdani's endorsement of Governor Kathy Hochul to help her campaign against Republican Bruce Blakeman.