New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks with New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch (left) during a news conference at Gracie Mansion in New York City on March 9, 2026.
Leonardo Munoz AFP | getty images
having a fireside chat live stream Reboot.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whose meteoric rise to City Hall was fueled largely by his social media moxie, launched a recurring cramps series on Thursday”talk to people“Where he will answer New Yorkers’ questions in real time on a platform better known for gaming than government.
The show will also be simulcast on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, X and several other social media platforms, the mayor’s office said.
“With the launch of ‘Talk with the People,’ we are bringing City Hall directly to the platforms where New Yorkers already spend their time,” Mamdani said in a statement.
During Mamdani’s run for mayor, he relied heavily on social media videos, online lecturers, and presence outside of traditional political media to reach young voters and discuss issues such as affordability, housing, and transit in a more conversational style.
“By hosting the nation’s first recurring cross-platform stream led by an elected official, where New Yorkers can ask questions live on Twitch, we are starting a new conversation between government and the people it serves, especially among the younger generations who have often been ignored,” Mamdani said in a statement.
Mamdani promoted the launch of “Talk to people” On
“5.21.26. 4:10 PM. Live,” Mamdani wrote.
This format also echoes the earlier era of politicians speaking directly to the public. Roosevelt used his fireside chats to address Americans on the radio, while former New York mayor Fiorello La Guardia later hosted his own weekly radio program, “Talk to the People”, from 1942 to 1945. According to the US Library of Congress.
Twitch first gained popularity as a livestreaming platform for video gamers, but has since become an important part of a broader shift in how younger audiences consume political information, often through streamers, podcasts, and social media personalities rather than traditional outlets.
In recent years, Twitch has become a Democratic counterweight to the right-wing podcast ecosystem.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., was among the first major elected officials to adopt the platform in 2020, when she appeared on an “Among Us” livestream aimed at encouraging youth to vote. Former Vice President Kamala Harris’s 2024 presidential campaign also relied on Twitch as part of a broader effort to reach young and hard-to-reach voters online.
More recently, political creators like Hassan Pikar have helped turn Twitch into a venue for live political commentary, attracting larger and more engaged audiences than those often associated with politicians.