Mayor Mamdani jumps into NYC pool to revive old tradition

New York City Mayor Mamdani captured the public’s attention by marking the start of the city’s outdoor pool season and resurrecting a discontinued municipal practice: jumping into the public pool fully clothed. 

The 34-year-old took the plunge at the Thomas Jefferson Pool in East Harlem, joining a crowd of children at the pool’s opening day celebration. 

Dressed in a business suit, dress and black socks, the mayor dove straight into the water. 

As reported by the New York Post, Mamdani said: “I’m gonna be honest, I may do it. I may commit to it.”

The pool jump is not Mamdani's first highly publicized dip in the water. 

Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg was the first mayor to participate in the opening splash tradition, while former mayors Bill de Blasio and Eric Adams did not choose not to continue the practice.

On social platform X, this video sparked a wave of intriguing comments with one user writing, “ The only other time I’ve seen him not in a suit was when we were just singing in a food stall with just an apron.”

The second commented, “ Zohran Mamdani in a suit is equivalent to Jensen Huang in a black leather jacket.”

The poolside appearance underlined a City Hall tradition during a week marked by a momentous decision affecting millions of New Yorkers.