PoliticsNYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Struggles to Define 'Working Class' as Reporter Pushes Back on Politician's Word Salad in Awkward Interview
Zohran Mamdani struggled to define who qualifies as the 'working class' during an interview.
July 20 2026, Published 2:10 p.m. ET
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani found himself on the defensive after struggling to define who exactly qualifies as "working class" during a tense interview with The New York Times.
The democratic socialist was repeatedly pressed by reporter Lulu Garcia-Navarro, who challenged his broad definition and accused him of sidestepping the question.
'What Is the Working Class?'
Zohran Mamdani said he considers anyone who 'has to work to pay your bills' part of the working class.
During the interview, Garcia-Navarro asked Mamdani a direct question: "How do you define the working class?"
"I think if you have to work to pay your bills, I think that that is one definition of being a part of the working class," the mayor replied.
When asked whether someone earning $250,000 a year would fit into that category, Mamdani acknowledged he had not established a clear cutoff.
"I haven't asked myself where it starts and stops," he said. "What I would say is those who are working to try and afford the basic dignities of life and aren't able to do so, I think that that is also working class."
Reporter Challenges Mayor's Answer
Lulu Garcia-Navarro repeatedly pressed the New York City mayor to clarify his definition.
Garcia-Navarro challenged the response, telling the mayor it didn't "ring true."
"It just seems a very easy answer to what is a complicated question," she said. "Because politically, if you're saying everyone is the working class, or anyone that gets a salary is the working class, yes, that opens up your tent. But practically speaking, we are divided by income — and especially if you want to tax people, where you draw those lines matter."
Mamdani later said he would draw the line at around $1 million in annual income, prompting the journalist to point out that such a broad definition could place people with vastly different financial situations into the same category.
"That feels like a distinction that might matter," Garcia-Navarro noted.
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
Mayor Defends His Response
Zohran Mamdani defended his response by comparing it to questions he received on the campaign trail.
Attempting to explain his thinking, Mamdani referenced the questions he faced while campaigning as a democratic socialist.
"When I was running, a question I would face was: What does it mean to be a democratic socialist?" he said. "I only bring that up because I think sometimes there's a fixation on a definition of something."
He continued: "When I would knock on New Yorkers' doors, they would just ask: Am I part of your vision?... They just want to know, is there any way for them to actually be able to work this hard and afford a good life in the city?"
'I've Defined It to You'
The mayor later argued that Americans struggling to afford rent, groceries and childcare should be at the center of his vision.
Garcia-Navarro argued that Mamdani was speaking in "broad strokes" rather than directly answering the question, though the mayor disagreed.
"Look, I think I've defined it to you as someone who works to afford their life," he stated.
He concluded by arguing that, regardless of how the term is defined, the priority should be people "struggling to afford the rent, struggling to afford their groceries, struggling to afford child care," saying those Americans "should be at the heart of our vision for what comes next."
