There were many false and misleading claims circulating online associated with Zoharan Mamdani’s New York City mayoral election campaign, and his victory on November 4 did not put an end to them.
Many posts on social media now focus on alleged resignations in response to Mamdani’s victory, companies withdrawing their services, reactions from public figures, and repeated fearmongering over Mamdani being a Muslim.
DW Fact Check takes a closer look at the three claims.
Did Mamdani’s win cause NYC Fire Chief to resign?
Claim:In This video has been shared on TikTok And viewed more than 582,000 times, a woman says the New York City Fire Department (NYFD) commissioner resigned in response to Zohran Mamdani’s victory.
DW Fact Check:Truth
post on xAnd tiktokClaims that thousands of New York Police Department (NYPD) officers had resigned following Mamdani’s victory, or that trucking companies were suspending operations in the city, were liar.liarOr SatireBut this is true.
NYFD Commissioner Robert Tuckerhanded over his resignationA day after Mamdani’s election. Time as Commissioner was unusual usually waitsSo that the name of the successor can be decided before resigning.
Tucker himself said this in an interview given to an Israeli newspaper. jerusalem postCiting ideological misunderstanding, he has a different opinion from the newly elected mayor.
“I also think I could have done a good job under him but, ideologically, our sentiments are different. So, I think he deserves the respect of appointing his own commissioner, someone who may be ideologically more aligned with him than I am.”
Muddying the Waters: Taking AI-Generated Videos Seriously
Claim: it post on xWith 4.4 million views at the time of writing, it also includes a video of Elon Musk who, according to the user, explains “what’s going on in America right now, why @ZohranKMamdani won in NYC, and what the risks are for our country and the world.”
DW Fact Check: Fake
The user says: “If you want a glimpse of a future where we don’t know what’s real and what’s fake, it’s worth a watch for that reason alone.”
While the user notes that he is “fairly confident but not completely convinced that it is AI,” he still takes the content seriously, saying: “What Elon says here is one of the most important things you will see this year.”
It’s a slippery slope to engage with AI-generated content as if it was actually spoken by the person featured. Often, when such videos are reposted, the label or description of it being AI-generated is missing.
The YouTube channel that uploaded the video on November 6 included a clear disclaimer, stating that it “uses a synthesized voice that is not Elon Musk’s” and explaining: “We use visual lip-syncing and dubbed narration to mix spoken words with on-screen footage, purely to increase clarity, create a cinematic experience, and make the content more engaging for viewers.”
This is an example of how advanced AI-generated content has become: The imitation of Musk’s voice is actually pretty solid, although the image sometimes jumps or gets out of sync.
AI-generated videos offer a new way to put words into the mouths of public figures. A more traditional approach is to produce news articles like this OneClaiming how high-profile American lawyer Alan Dershowitz would react to Mamdani’s victory, which Dershowitz himself later stated rejectedAlways making.
It is essential to verify sources and ensure that statements are accurately attributed to the real person behind them.
Did the New York Jets cheerleaders’ outfits change after Mamdani won?
Claim:One post on xThe women are shown wearing green masks and sports attire with the Jets logo on the front. Superimposed text reads: “New cheerleaders for the New York Jets are coming in 2026.”
DW Fact Check: Fake
A reverse image search found us dozens of similar posts on various social media platforms Facebook, reddit And InstagramAll shared from 7th November.
The posts – and the discussions below them – treat the image as a joke about the possible consequences of Mamdani’s victory, but the image is clearly fabricated.
The blur around the head and the rigid stance point towards an AI-generated image. jets logo an old logoTeam discontinued use in 2023. The mentioned reverse image search also found several videos with AI watermark labels.
The New York Jets, an NFL franchise, does not incorporate religious symbols in its team identity. While the hijab is sometimes worn by female athletes in other countries, the niqab is very rare in the context of sports.
A study by Center for the Study of Organized HateA Washington DC-based non-profit think tank found social media discussions during the recent election “overemphasized Islamophobia, portraying Mamdani as a terrorist, jihadist or radical Muslim”.
On October 24, Mamdani organized an event press conferenceIslamophobia targeting him and Muslim New Yorkers is being addressed. “While my opponents in this race have brought hatred to the forefront, it’s just a glimpse of what so many people across the city have to endure every day,” he said.
Mamdani has often been targeted with claims that he holds extremist religious beliefs. As we discussed in the previous article Claims are repeated again and againThat he wants to impose Sharia law is a complete fabrication. In the context of the claim that Mamdani is a supporter of Islamic fundamentalism, the above image can be seen as a fictional expansion on that fear.