Swimmer Riley Gaines Mocks Political Candidate for Gym Fail

Competitive swimmer Riley Gaines recently drew attention by ridiculing mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani after a Gym class incident that went viral. Gaines posted a video of herself bench pressing 165 pounds—more than Mamdani struggled with at a Brooklyn event—while weighing just 130 pounds.

In her video, Gaines emphasized her ability to lift significantly more than her body weight, contrasting this with Mamdani’s difficulty in benching 135 pounds, which required assistance. She captioned her post, “Take note, Zohran Mamdani,” highlighting her own strength.

The disparity sparked further mockery from Gaines, who pointed out that her effort was relatively easy given her weight. She also linked to Mamdani’s workout attempt, which failed to impress at an annual event celebrating men’s strength.

Gaines stated, “I’m not judging politicians on how much they can bench, but I am judging them on how much they can lift,” referencing her own fitness accomplishments. Other political figures, including Mayor Eric Adams, also took jabs—Adams showcased his own bench press performance, mocking Mamdani’s effort and criticizing him with a pointed comment about his ability to handle the pressure of city leadership.

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo joined the criticism, asserting that Mamdani is unfit to lead, claiming he cannot even bench his own weight. The exchange underscores the political rivalry and the humorous, if harsh, attacks surrounding the candidates’ physical prowess in the contest for New York City’s mayoral seat.