New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s promise that all NYC buildings would be set to 78 degrees appears to be yet another lie.
In a post published on the social media platform X this Wednesday, the mayor recommended that everybody set their air conditioning to 78 degrees.
Look:
New York: it’s hot out there, and the power grid is working overtime to keep us cool.
Set your AC to 78 degrees, turn off lights/electronics you’re not using, and unplug what you can.
Our City is doing its part too: maintaining the 78 degrees rule in our buildings,…
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) July 1, 2026
In the post, he also vowed that the city was “doing its part too” by “maintaining the 78 degrees rule in our buildings.” But according to an investigation by the New York Post, this wasn’t true.
“Sweaty Post reporters armed with an infrared thermometer tested 20 spots within City Hall and other municipal offices and buildings they were able to access — and all but five of them were below 78 degrees,” the Post reported on Thursday.
Republicans weren’t pleased by this finding.
“Maybe the mayor shouldn’t tell New Yorkers to sacrifice their comfort if he isn’t willing to do the same,” New York City Council minority leader David Carr, a Republican, told the tabloid paper.
In fairness, most of the locations tested by the Post were just a degree or two off from 78 degrees. But this wasn’t the case for the mayor’s own office building, where one room was found to be at an astonishing 54 degrees.
While the rooms were nice, however, the hallways were a different story.
“While many city workers sat inside cool offices, security and cops in hallways sat in 80-plus-degree temperatures — and weren’t even given fans,” the Post noted. “The hallways and lobbies in the Dinkins Building clocked at 80 degrees, while the elevators broiled at 89 degrees.”
As for Mamdani’s original X post, it attracted massive criticism and mockery from those who felt like he was imposing communist edicts on them:
Socialism has entered the chat.
— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) July 2, 2026
In America we should be able to set our homes to a comfortable 68 degrees.
What is this socialism. No one wants to sit in 78 degrees. This isn’t Europe.
— Gideon Askowitz (@Gideon_Askowitz) July 1, 2026
Imagine telling millions of people to use less electricity instead of building a grid that can handle the city you govern. @IfindRetards
— Straightup (@Straigh84762613) July 1, 2026
Communism is working as intended. Communist can’t keep infrastructure working properly so you must be hot! Literally every state or country controlled by these radical leftist struggles to keep the lights on. How are you liking your communism New York? My AC is blasting cold air!
— The League of Fatigued (@fatiguedLeague) July 3, 2026
I’ve lived in Florida since ’97. Not once have I ever been told what temperature to set my air on. Do you want to know why? We try real hard not to elect communist mayors to our cities. You fcked up NYC..big time! pic.twitter.com/FGjX2FxWUS
—
Florida Mama
(@nickberoxbe1989) July 2, 2026
The catch is that Mamdani isn’t the first NYC mayor to recommend locals take certain steps to mitigate energy consumption during a major heat wave.
In 1999, then-NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani laid out dozens of steps locals could take to “beat the heat,” including setting their AC to “no lower than 78 degrees F,” only using the AC “when home,” turning off “non-essential appliances,” and more.
This practice of asking New Yorkers to set their AC to 78 degrees dates back to Dear Communist Leader Mayor Rudolph W. Giulianihttps://t.co/FTjsobgGsG https://t.co/19kVghn29D
— Joe Calvello (@the_vello) July 2, 2026
Plus, the Trump administration’s own Department of Energy (DOE) used to also suggest keeping indoor temperatures between 75 and 78 degrees during the heat wave, according to USA Today.
But after the DOE was exposed for offering the same advice as Mamdani, the Trump administration deleted the webpage containing the temperature tips.
The Department of Energy appears to have deleted its thermostat-level recommendations to avoid people noticing that their generic recommendation was to set indoor temperatures at the same level which Zohran has asked New Yorkers to maintain during a grid-stressing heatwave. https://t.co/M5YVauiIOQ
— David Wallace-Wells (@dwallacewells) July 2, 2026
