Mamdani Launches Live Stream To Talk Directly To New Yorkers

NEW YORK, NY—Mayor Zohran Mamdani will launch a recurring Twitch livestream series designed to take questions directly from New Yorkers, expanding the social media strategy that helped propel him into City Hall.

The series, titled “Talk with the People,” premieres May 21 at 4 p.m. and will stream simultaneously across Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X and Bluesky.

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Twitch will serve as the program’s primary platform, with Mamdani responding to questions live through the site’s chat function.

“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 wrote in a written statement provided to Polygon.

The move places Mamdani among a growing number of politicians using livestreaming platforms to bypass traditional media channels and communicate directly with voters in real time.

“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.

The show’s title references former New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, whose 1940s radio program “Talk to the People” used broadcast technology to reach residents directly.

The format also echoes President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Fireside Chats,” which brought political messaging into American homes through radio during the Great Depression and World War II.

Unlike those broadcasts, Mamdani’s livestream will allow viewers to interact directly with the mayor through live chat messages and comments.

Twitch began as a gaming platform but has expanded into political commentary, live events and creator-driven programming. Politicians and campaigns increasingly use the platform to reach younger audiences who spend more time on streaming and social media platforms than traditional television.