As an unapologetic democratic socialist, Mayor Zohran Mamdani is not afraid to defy the traditional political calculations. And that includes whether or not to attend the Met Gala, perhaps the premier event on the city’s social calendar and one that has regularly drawn a series of past mayors.
But that will not include Mr. Mamdani. On Thursday, the mayor confirmed in an interview with Hell Gate that he and his wife, Rama Duwaji, were planning to skip the event, a starry fund-raiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute traditionally held on the first Monday in May.
The mayor framed his absence as a way to keep his focus on “affordability and making the most expensive city in the United States affordable.”
Representatives for the mayor’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday afternoon.
Past leaders of the city have made a point of attending the benefit as a show of support for one of New York’s oldest cultural institutions. Michael R. Bloomberg, Bill de Blasio and Eric Adams have all walked the museum’s famous staircase alongside celebrities, models, athletes, fashion designers and, increasingly, tech billionaires.
This year’s event will inaugurate the museum’s spring fashion exhibition, “Costume Art,” which opens on May 10 and will explore fashion’s ties to the world of art by juxtaposing 200 contemporary and historical garments and accessories with sculptures and paintings drawn from the museum’s collection. The event and the exhibition are sponsored by the billionaire couple Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, who will also serve as the evening’s honorary chairs.
Indeed, Mr. Mamdani’s presence at the gala might have seemed out of place at an event that is widely considered to be the playground of the rich and famous. Elected in November on a socialist platform focused on lowering costs for average New Yorkers, Mr. Mamdani has made raising taxes on the wealthy a central element of his political brand, including posting a video on Wednesday — Tax Day — voicing his support for a tax on pied-à-terres.
Still, there had been speculation around whether or not Mayor Mamdani would attend the event. There is precedent for liberal politicians using the gala as a way to highlight issues and policies they care about.
In 2021, for example, Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, a progressive Democrat who represents parts of the Bronx and Queens, attended the Met Gala in a white gown custom made by Brother Vellies emblazoned with the words “Tax the Rich” on the back.
A year later, Eric Adams — a more conservative member of the Democratic Party who eventually dropped out of last year’s race for re-election — walked the red carpet wearing a tuxedo jacket that featured artwork by Laolu Senbanjo and the words “End Gun Violence.”
For Mr. Mamdani, however, his messaging on lowering prices seemed to override any desire to heighten awareness.
“That’s what I’m looking to spend a lot of my time focused on,” Mr. Mamdani said in the Hell Gate interview.
Jesse McKinley contributed reporting.
Yola Mzizi is a reporter for The Times covering fashion and style.
The post Mamdani Says He Plans to Skip the Met Gala appeared first on New York Times.
