As the disastrous saga surrounding President Donald Trump’s efforts to make the Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC more, uh, reflective—the democratic socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani brought more fresh joy to his city on Saturday by jumping into one of the city’s public pools—fully dressed in a suit and tie—with a smile on his face.

The scenes could not be more symbolically divergent as critics of the mess Trump has created in DC—where ducks are reportedly dying, a mysterious number of people have now been given criminal citations, fences have been erected, and an “Orwellian” recording telling people they are not allowed to “loiter” in one of the nation’s capital’s most iconic parks—reached new levels of absurdity over recent days.

Meanwhile, as Trump’s claims of arrests made amid unproven allegations of “vandalism” are being met with growing suspicion and derision, this was Mayor Mamdani as he joined with city residents to celebrate the beginning of the summer pool season:

💦 Mayor Mamdani kicked off NYC’s outdoor pool season today by jumping into the Thomas Jefferson Pool in East Harlem!

This year marks the 90th anniversary of New York City’s iconic WPA-era outdoor pools. Summer is officially here! ☀️🏊♂️🌊 pic.twitter.com/Km6eUjdyMa
— New York City Kopp (@NYCkopp) June 27, 2026

“Mamdani kicked off NYC’s outdoor pool season today by jumping into the Thomas Jefferson Pool in East Harlem!” declared the photographer who took the video. “This year marks the 90th anniversary of New York City’s iconic WPA-era outdoor pools. Summer is officially here!”

As The Gothamist reports:

The parks department is honoring the 90th anniversary of the summer of 1936, when then-Mayor Fiorello La Guardia and city Parks Commissioner Robert Moses opened 11 large pools across the five boroughs. They served as a place to cool off during the Great Depression — and were part of a wave of New York City public works projects funded by the New Deal’s Works Progress Administration.

Mamdani has been running on a political high in recent weeks. After leading joyful celebrations of the New York Knicks becoming NBA world champions after a 53-year drought, the democratic socialist mayor also claimed big political victories this week with a trifecta win for the congressional candidates he endorsed in the Democratic primary on Tuesday as well as a city council vote that delivered on his campaign promise to freeze rent for city residents.

“We’re so excited to be celebrating 90 years of public swimming in our city,” Mamdani told reporters after his fully-dressed dip. “This is a moment that New Yorkers are celebrating across the five boroughs.”

A fence surrounds the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on June 26, 2026 in Washington, DC. An increased law enforcement presence has been around the area after claims made by President Trump that vandalism was the cause of the damage. (Photo by Andrew Leyden/Getty Images)

Earlier this month, Mamdani and NYC Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura announced the opening of registration for an expanded number of free summer Learn to Swim classes at 18 outdoor pools across the city.

“Every child deserves to enjoy the water safely," Mamdani said at the time. "That’s why we’re expanding free swim lessons across the five boroughs—giving more young New Yorkers access to an essential life skill, saving families money and making sure every child feels confident in the water.”

“He’s in the running as best mayor NYC has ever had,” said filmmaker Jesse Newman in response to Saturday’s footage from Harlem. “Look out LaGuardia.”

In the nation’s capital, however, “dystopian” scenes continued as National Guard troops continued to guard the Reflecting Pool at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial from anyone who might “touching the water” as a so-called “surveillance machine” told passersby that “Loitering is not permitted in this area. Please proceed to a designated location.”

“Loitering is not permitted in this area. Please proceed to a designated location. Thank you for your cooperation,” a surveillance machine tells a small cluster of National Guard troops as they patrol the fenced off Reflecting Pool in the rain. pic.twitter.com/5yGSOZbtgv
— amanda moore 🐢 (@noturtlesoup17) June 26, 2026

“This is absolutely insane,” exclaimed Allegria Harpootlian, who works for the ACLU, in a social media post. “What is a park meant for if not for ‘loitering’?”

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