Young people in Amsterdam said they encountered New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani frequently on social media and viewed him as sympathetic and authentic. Some described him as their mayor despite living in another country, while political scientist and media literacy expert Jobelene Hogervorst Perez said Mamdani’s team had presented him as a serious political figure with the appeal of a pop icon.

The discussion followed a visit by Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema to Mamdani in New York. Hogervorst Perez said Dutch politicians could learn from his approach to online communication, arguing that young people recognize authentic engagement with internet culture. One young person interviewed said Halsema did not appear in their social-media feed in the same way.