Mamdani, Trump and the End of the Old Politics | The Ezra Klein Show

Zohran Mamdani created a new anti-establishment playbook – in his use of social video, his focus on affordability and his position on Israel.

His assumed victory in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary, trouncing the former governor Andrew Cuomo, was one of the biggest political upsets in years. And while the electorate in this case is pretty specific, I think it still points to some tectonic changes in Democratic politics.

My friend Chris Hayes, the host of MSNBC’s “All In With Chris Hayes,” came on the show earlier this year to talk about his book “The Sirens’ Call,” which is all about how social media and the new attention economy are shaping politics. So I wanted to bring him back for a sequel, to get “The Sirens’ Call” take on Mamdani’s victory, and Hayes’s insights as a born-and-raised New Yorker, with a deep feel for both the city’s politics and the broader Democratic Party.

0:00 Intro
2:08 Zohran Mamdani's NYC mayoral campaign
12:40 Democrats' digital communication problem
25:54 Running on policy ideas
1:00:22 The medium is the message
1:08:20 The "everything is video" media strategy
1:17:17 Navigating Israel/Palestine in online discourse
1:25:36 Book Recommendations

Read the full transcript here: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/28/op...

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You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-...