A brutal heat wave was bearing down on New York over the holiday weekend, with temperatures forecast to feel like 112 degrees. As residents cranked their air conditioners and the power grid strained under the load, the mayor stepped in with a plea for restraint.
His answer for the city was 78, plus a request to unplug what you can and dim the lights.
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani addresses a news conference at a Manhattan union headquarters on June 25, 2026, rallying behind Haitian and Syrian communities following the Supreme Court’s TPS ruling. Photo by Spencer Platt / Getty Images.
Mamdani told New Yorkers to bump their air conditioners up to 78 as the city braced for that punishing weekend forecast, and the advice landed as an insult to a lot of people sweating through it.
New Yorkers seek relief from the heat in Bryant Park, Manhattan, as an extreme heat warning blanketed the city on July 1, 2026. Photo by Spencer Platt / Getty Images.
Beachgoers pack Coney Island on June 29, 2026, seeking relief as temperatures pushed toward 100°F across New York City during a punishing East Coast heat wave. Photo by Spencer Platt / Getty Images.
Critics went straight to socialism. “Show us your thermostat, commie,” wrote Spencer Pratt. Rep. Brandon Gill called it a government demand to “turn your house into a sauna,” and Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders wrote, “Turns out socialism actually isn’t free.” Matt Walsh said his own AC never goes above 68: “This is America for God’s sake.”
New Yorkers beat the heat at Coney Island in Brooklyn on June 29, 2026, as temperatures across the East Coast approached triple digits. Photo by Spencer Platt / Getty Images.
The pushback comes as Mamdani’s clout is climbing. His slate of endorsed candidates swept last week’s primaries, and Kamala Harris called him afterward, a nod to how much his base could matter in the 2028 nominating fight.
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NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani addresses a news conference at a Manhattan union headquarters on June 25, 2026, rallying behind Haitian and Syrian communities following the Supreme Court's TPS ruling. Photo by Spencer Platt Getty Images.
New Yorkers seek relief from the heat in Bryant Park, Manhattan, as an extreme heat warning blanketed the city on July 1, 2026. Photo by Spencer Platt Getty Images.
Beachgoers pack Coney Island on June 29, 2026, seeking relief as temperatures pushed toward 100°F across New York City during a punishing East Coast heat wave. Photo by Spencer Platt Getty Images.
New Yorkers beat the heat at Coney Island in Brooklyn on June 29, 2026, as temperatures across the East Coast approached triple digits. Photo by Spencer Platt Getty Images.