How Is Mamdani Doing?
Former Nation editor Don Guttenplan on how Mamdani is balancing pragmatism and principles as he deals with policing,
Donald Trump and a tough budget.

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Former Nation editor Don Guttenplan is now bringing municipal politics to the magazine
with a weekly column tracking the progress of Mayor Zohran Mamdani. I spoke to Don
about how Mamdani is balancing pragmatism and principles as he deals with policing,
Donald Trump and a tough budget.
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks at a “Rental Ripoff” hearing at Fordham University in the Bronx borough of New York on March 11, 2026.
(Spencer Platt / Getty Images)Former Nation editor Don Guttenplan is now bringing municipal politics to the magazine with a weekly column tracking the progress of mayor Zohran Mamdani. I spoke to Don about how Mamdani is balancing pragmatism and principles as he deals with policing, Donald Trump and a tough budget.
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Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.
Republicans are plummeting in the polls in the lead-up to the midterm thanks to the unpopularity of the Iran War and the attendant inflation. As my Nation colleague Chris Lehmann has noted, in an attempt to shore up their fracturing base, the GOP has decided to label all Democrats as communist, a weird rhetorical move now being made by Donald Trump and his supporters. I talk to Chris about this strange and dangerous development.
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