‘I Got You!’ Zohran Mamdani Holds Hands With Ex-Opponent Curtis Sliwa While He Gets Flu Shot

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani found himself offering an unusual form of bipartisan support Friday, holding the hand of his former Republican rival Curtis Sliwa as he nervously received a flu shot.

The one-time mayoral opponents reunited at a medical office in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, where both received vaccinations less than a year after Mamdani won the 2025 mayoral election as the mayor urged New Yorkers to get their flu shots ahead of colder weather.

“This is not the kind of shots we used to give one another!” Sliwa joked to the mayor, according to ABC7.

The political ribbing continued as Sliwa rolled up his sleeve.

“You know he got more votes than me, he’s more popular than me,” he said. “But you don’t have bigger muscles!”

Mamdani agreed.

Sliwa, who survived being shot five times in a 1992 attack, initially appeared confident about facing a much smaller needle and kept up the jokes: “I know about getting shot.”

That confidence, however, appeared to fade as the vaccination approached.

“I’m supposed to be a tough guy,” Sliwa confessed.

“I can hold your hand,” Mamdani offered, taking his former opponent’s hand as the shot was prepared.

“What happens if I faint?” Sliwa asked, rattling his feet on the floor. “You know how many people faint when they get a shot? Right or wrong? If they see blood.”

“I’ve got you,” Mamdani replied, smiling.

“You know how many shots I’ve gotten over the years? I’m like a pin cushion!” Sliwa added.

After the shot was administered, Sliwa complimented the doctor: “You should do this for a living!”

The exchange offered another lighthearted chapter in the relationship between two men who spent last year competing for control of City Hall. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, ultimately won the race over Sliwa and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and took office in January.

After his shot, Sliwa reportedly returned to needling the mayor. Holding up the button he received after being vaccinated, Sliwa asked: “Can I get on the subway with this instead of an OMNY card?”

“Come on, Mr. Mayor!” he added.

Watch above via ABC7.

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