New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji, will skip this year’s Met Gala, breaking tradition with predecessors who accepted invitations to fashion’s biggest night.
In an interview with Hell Gate newsletter in April, Mamdani confirmed reports that he would not attend the event, saying, “That’s true” about the couple’s impending absence.
Mamdani framed his absence from the event as a way to reiterate his focus on affordability.
“My focus is also on affordability and making the most expensive city in the United States affordable, and that’s what I’m looking to spend a lot of my time focused on,” he said.
When pressed on the “sweet perk” of the mayor traditionally getting invited, Mamdani praised the museum, saying he loves the Met and that it’s an “incredible museum.”
Previous mayors who have accepted the invitation include Eric Adams, Bill de Blasio, and longtime attendee Michael Bloomberg.
While Mamdani declined to attend the event, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) accepted the invitation in the past, using her appearance at the 2021 event to amplify one of her core messages of taxing the rich.
The congresswoman’s dress, designed by Brother Vellies’ Aurora James, read “TAX THE RICH” in red letters across the back. Ocasio-Cortez also carried a red bag that had the same statement across the front.
Following her appearance, Ocasio-Cortez received a wave of criticism that it was hypocritical to wear a dress about taxing the rich while attending the exclusive gala.
She defended the decision to attend, saying her body has been “policed.”
“I thought about the criticism I’d get, but honestly, I and my body have been so heavily and relentlessly policed from all corners politically since the moment I won my election that it’s kind of become expected and normalized to me,” Ocasio-Cortez said in an Instagram story afterward.
Like Ocasio-Cortez, Mamdani has called for raising taxes on the wealthiest people and businesses in the city to help fund his various initiatives.
It is common for politicians who attend the Met Gala to use it to highlight issues and policies they care about.
A year after Ocasio-Cortez attended the event, then-mayor Adams wore a tuxedo jacket that featured artwork by Laolu Senbanjo and the words, “End Gun Violence.”
The theme for this year’s annual fundraiser is “Costume Art,” with Beyonce, Venus Williams, and Nicole Kidman serving as co-chairs.
“Costume Art will juxtapose garments and works of art to illuminate new connections,” according to the Met website.
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The Met’s spring exhibit, which the gala inaugurates, opens on May 10, with billionaire couple Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Bezos serving as sponsors and the event’s honorary co-chairs.
The Washington Examiner contacted Ocasio-Cortez and Mamdani’s press teams for comment.