Michael Rapaport is reaffirming his intentions to pursue the role of New York City’s mayor.
On Tuesday, the 60-year-old actor and comedian announced his intention to challenge current Mayor Zohran Mamdani in 2029. Mamdani is recognized for his democratic socialist approach, and Rapaport plans to confront him with what he describes as a “New York City street fight mentality.”
“I never imagined I’d contemplate a run for New York City mayor, yet here I am, driven by pure intentions,” Rapaport remarked to Chris Cuomo during his appearance on News Nation. “I intend to approach this in a way that no traditional politician ever has.”
“The strategy to defeat him involves embracing a New York City street fight mentality,” he declared.
“There’s no competing with him on niceness or charm. In my view, he’s the most adept at political maneuvering—possibly ever,” Rapaport added, emphasizing the challenge ahead.
“But New York City needs to do something. We need to plan right now because 2029 is around the corner, and, yes, I’m running for mayor of New York City. And I will only drop out until I feel like there’s somebody who’s more qualified that could actually beat Zohran the moron.
“My bark is a lot louder than my bite,” he added. “There’s no way to out-finesse this guy, out-smile this guy. It has to be a dogfight. It has to be ugly, and that’s what I will do in my campaign.”
The outspoken comedian, who has been vocal about his disdain for the democratic mayor, first announced his plans to run for mayor in January.
“My name is Michael Rapaport, a.k.a. Mayor Rapaport. Mr. Mayor Rapaport,” he said during an episode of his “I Am Rapaport” podcast.
“Let me tell you something, guys, girls, women, children of all ages. 2025 was crazy, and I don’t see it getting any … calmer or cooler in 2026, the way things started,” he continued. “That’s why I’m running for mayor.”
In addition to making the announcement on his podcast, Rapaport took to Instagram to share the news, emphasizing in the video that he was “born and raised in New York City.”
“Born. Raised. NYC. Nothing’s free. No bulls—. No fake grins,” he wrote in the caption. “I’ll own my mistakes, apologize when I screw up, and fight to make this city safe, affordable, and thriving. You got Zoron the Moron now…Mayor Rapaport is coming. How you like them apples? 🍎🗽.”
Last week, Rapaport called on the New York governor to resign after anti-Israel protests spun out of control in front of a synagogue.
“HALLOWEEN SPRING FLING, Now right now in NYC, lunatics dressed in Halloween terra costumes are outside of…. You guessed it a Synagogue in NYC,” he wrote on X, with a video of a protest.
“@GovKathyHochul, you’ve had 3 years to do a mask mandate & see if this stops the bulls—, you did nothing. RESIGN in SHAME,” he concluded.
Representatives for Rapaport and Mamdani did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Lori Bashian contributed to this post.