New York City's mayor sparked outrage on Thursday when he shared instructions on how to conserve energy during a heat wave.
The city is experiencing a historic heat wave, with temperatures expected to feel as hot as 112 degrees, prompting officials to expand emergency heat measures.
Mamdani's post on a social media platform instructed residents to set their air conditioners to 78 degrees, turn off lights and electronics they're not using, and unplug what they can, in order to ease the demand on the power grid.
The post quickly went viral, with over 36.5 million views, and was met with a mix of ridicule and outrage from conservatives and pundits.
Some critics accused Mamdani of being a communist and of imposing socialist policies, while others joked about the government telling people what temperature to set their air conditioning units.
Despite the backlash, Mamdani's popularity is on the rise in New York City, with his slate of endorsed socialist-linked candidates winning in last week's primary elections.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris has also reached out to Mamdani, sending a signal that his base will be critical in deciding who becomes the next Democratic presidential nominee in 2028.
