When Zohran Mamdani, New York City's newly minted 34-year-old democratic socialist mayor, casually mentioned his intention to install bidets in Gracie Mansion, he likely envisioned a modest modernisation of the 227-year-old mayoral residence. Instead, his aspirational bathroom fixture has become a lightning rod for intra-party criticism, with prominent Democrats pointing out that the socialist firebrand now occupying one of America's grandest public residences appears to be the exact type of wealthy elitist he has long denounced.
On 12 January, speaking to reporters outside the iconic Upper East Side mansion, Mamdani explained: 'One thing that we will change is we will be installing a few bidets into Gracie Mansion. That's an aspirational hope. We'll see if we can get it done.'
