NYC Mayor's Aide Criticises 'White Woman Behaviour' in Train Confrontation
An advisor to New York City's socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani has sparked controversy after boasting about her hatred of 'white woman behaviour' on social media. The incident followed a confrontation during a 40-minute phone call on a train, where she received what she described as 'death glares' from another passenger.
The Train Incident Details
Drashti Brahmbhatt, serving as an advisor for Mamdani's 100-Day Planning and Implementation period, detailed the awkward encounter from November 2021 in a series of since-deleted tweets. The tweets were recently unearthed by Washington Free Beacon reporter Jon Levine, revealing Brahmbhatt's account of events during her commute on the Metro-North Railroad.
According to Brahmbhatt's social media posts, she received an 'important' telephone call that 'could not wait' during her journey. She claimed to be 'speaking as softly as humanely possible' during the extended conversation, which lasted approximately forty minutes. However, she alleged that an 'older white woman' sitting ahead of her turned around roughly fifteen times to 'give me death glares' throughout the call.
Before exiting the train, Brahmbhatt confronted the woman directly, stating: 'Excuse me, there's no need to give me death glares for quietly speaking on the phone. This is public transportation and you're allowed to quietly talk.' The woman reportedly responded that Brahmbhatt's behaviour was 'annoying', prompting Brahmbhatt to reply: 'It's 2021 and we can stop practicing white civility.'
When the commuter appeared 'dumbfounded' by this statement, Brahmbhatt added: 'I don't need to follow white standards of "politeness".' The woman allegedly retorted: 'you have problems', concluding the exchange.
Social Media Reaction and Context
In her tweets, Brahmbhatt admitted that she has previously been accused of exaggerating about 'how terrible white women are'. She acknowledged that 'this is obvi a very small problem and instance of "white woman" behaviour but it still sucks!' The advisor concluded her social media thread by expressing hope that others 'can relate' to her experience.
Brahmbhatt was appointed senior manager to Mamdani's transition and inaugural committee in November last year and has been serving as his advisor since January. At the time of the alleged train incident, she was working for the NYC Civic Engagement Commission as director for NYC's first Citywide Participatory Budgeting program. This initiative allowed New Yorkers aged eleven and older, regardless of citizenship status, to provide input on how officials spent five million dollars of mayoral expense funding.
After two years with this program, Brahmbhatt accepted a role with Mayor Eric Adams' Office of Equity & Racial Justice, serving as director of equity planning and technical assistance. Her professional profile indicates she helped co-design and implement the first citywide racial equity planning process during this period.
Political Background and Affiliations
Brahmbhatt's educational background includes a bachelor's degree in international relations from Brown University and a master's in public administration from Columbia University. She previously worked on Democrat Jaslin Kaur's unsuccessful city council campaign in Queens from November 2020 until August 2021.
Her since-deleted social media account revealed Brahmbhatt to be very vocal about her political ideas online. She made calls to 'defund and abolish the police' and criticised all politicians who have shown support for Israel. In one tweet, she urged political leaders to 'take solidarity with Palestinians' and expressed pride in standing with NYC's Democratic Socialists of America party in its efforts to fight against what she termed 'settler colonialism'.
Brahmbhatt appears to be a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, the same political organisation with which Mayor Mamdani is affiliated. She publicly praised Mamdani for 'speaking up and centering Palestine in his organising and as an elected official' in a 2021 tweet. While it remains unclear how long she and Mamdani have known each other, her public support for his pro-Palestine stance dates back several years.
Mayoral Response and Precedent
The Daily Mail has approached Mayor Mamdani for comment regarding Brahmbhatt's controversial tweets. However, precedent suggests that the mayor is unlikely to criticise his aide publicly. When mayoral aide Cea Weaver faced public outrage over unearthed tweets targeting white NYC homeowners, Mamdani stated he stood by Weaver, though his team was understood to have been caught by surprise by her anti-white posts.
Weaver, a progressive 'housing justice' activist, was named Mamdani's director of the city's Office to Protect Tenants on his first day as mayor. Her controversial tweets included calls to 'impoverish the white middle class' and branding homeownership as 'racist' and 'failed public policy'. She advocated to 'seize private property' and made racial claims that 'homeownership is a weapon of white supremacy.'
This latest revelation about Brahmbhatt's social media activity adds to growing scrutiny of Mayor Mamdani's appointments and the political views expressed by members of his administration. The incident raises questions about appropriate conduct on public transport, racial dynamics in urban spaces, and the boundaries of political expression for public officials in New York City's current political climate.
