Actor Michael Rapaport Stuns Chris Cuomo by Announcing He's Running for Mayor in 2029: 'Have No Fear'

Actor Michael Rapaport doubled down on his plans to run for New York City Mayor in 2029 during a fiery interview on NewsNation's CUOMO, where he heavily criticized current Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Rapaport, whose combative views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have caused significant polarization, leading to the widespread cancelation of his live comedy club shows across the country, said he had never considered a political run but is now fully committed.

He labeled Mamdani "the greatest bull c----- in the history of politicians" and accused him of failing to protect the city's Jewish residents.

“The only way to beat this guy is to make it and take it with New York City street fight mentality,” Rapaport said. “There’s no way to outdo him. There’s no way to out slick him.”

Rapaport insisted the only way to defeat the Democratic Socialist mayor is through a "New York City street fight mentality," promising to stay in the race until a more qualified challenger emerges.

He announced his candidacy on his podcast in January, just days after Mamdani was sworn in to office.

“I, Michael Rapaport, will be running for mayor of New York City in 2029,” he said in an Instagram video at the time. “You got ‘Zohran the moron’ now. But have no fear, Mayor Rapaport will be here.”

The True Romance actor reaffirmed his plans on Chris Cuomo’s show Monday, May 12, when the seemingly incredulous journalist and brother of former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo asked, “Michael Rapaport is thinking about going from public citizen to public servant. Do I have it right?”

The actor replied, “You have a right …But in terms of the mayor 2029, I am running for mayor of New York City. I never thought that I would even consider running for mayor of New York City, and I will do it with the best intentions, and I won’t do it the way any other political person has ever done it.”

The often-combative New York City native continued, saying, “The only way to beat this guy is to make it and take it with New York City street fight mentality. There’s no way to out nice him. There’s no way out slick him. I think that he’s the greatest bull c----- in the history of politicians…and that’s saying a lot. But New York City needs to do something; we need to plan right now because 2029 is around the corner, and yes, I’m running for mayor of New York City. I will only drop out until I feel like there’s somebody who’s more qualified that could actually beat Zohran the moron.”

Michael’s announcement comes as Zohran remains popular, with 55 percent of New Yorkers viewing him favorably vs. 33 percent unfavorably, and 60 percent of residents believing he is fulfilling campaign promises.

As of April, the new mayor focused his first 100 days on "sewer socialism," a.k.a. improving basic city services while advancing progressive policies.

Key accomplishments include filling 100,000 potholes, expanding free childcare, launching a $30-an-hour emergency snow-shoveling program and initiating a plan for city-owned grocery stores.

Rapaport drew massive public ire during his stint on Season 4 of Peacock's reality show, The Traitors. Viewers and castmates heavily criticized him for derailing strategic conversations, getting into explosive arguments and making comments toward costar Colton Underwood that were widely condemned as homophobic.

He was subsequently banished from the game by fellow contestants.

The Jewish community is deeply divided over Rapaport’s aggressive and outspoken advocacy for Israel, with reactions splitting largely along political and ideological lines.

While some view him as a necessary, fearless voice fighting antisemitism, others criticize him for using harmful rhetoric that cheapens Jewish values and weaponizes antisemitism.