NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has officially moved into the historic Gracie Mansion, and she’s hoping to make some changes. The mayor spoke to reporters on Jan. 12 and shared its “hope” to install a few bids in the mayor’s residence.
“One thing we will change is that we will install a few bidets in Gracie Mansion,” said Mamdani. “That’s the hope. We’ll see if we can make it happen.”
A prominent New York Democratic leader scoffed at the mayor’s idea, painting it as a rich man’s dream from a socialist.
“He’s been mayor for a minute and now a socialist thinks he has a lot of money to buy bids,” a prominent Democrat, who asked not to be identified, told Fox News Digital.
MAMDANI, PRESIDENT TRUMP SENDS A TEXT AT LEAST TWICE A WEEK — AS IT WOULDN’T EXPLODE BRANCE CONTENTS: SOURCES
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, right, and his wife, Rama Duwaji, wave to members of the media after a news conference at Gracie Mansion, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, New York. (Yuki Iwamura/AP Photo)
Speaking to Fox News Digital, the prominent Democrat drew a contrast between the reaction to Mamdani’s “eager hope” to add bids against President Donald Trump’s renovation of the Lincoln Bedroom bathroom at the White House.
Trump posted photos of the remodeled bathroom on Truth Social in November celebrating the upgrade, which included “glazed, polished marble.” Although the president says the renovation is consistent with the original vision of the space, historians disagree and comedians mock him. John Oliver, host of “Last Week Tonight,” called it “tone-deaf.”
The president’s renovation of the East Wing ballroom has also drawn criticism and mockery that Democrats are looking to the president for the project. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said during an appearance on MSNBC that Trump “found time to tear down the East Wing of the White House so he could build a ballroom where he can be celebrated like he’s king.”
President Donald Trump announced the new Lincoln Bathroom renovation in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social. (@realDonaldTrump via Truth Social)
The East Wing renovation was made fun of on “Saturday Night Live,” which did a skit featuring James Austin Johnson as Trump and Miles Teller as Drew and Jonathan Scott from HGTV’s popular home improvement show “The Property Brothers.” The sarcasm didn’t end there. During the “Weekend Update” segment, Michael Che said he was happy that the floor looked “smooth,” according to the Architect’s Newspaper.
MAMDANI TALKS ABOUT THE ‘WONDERFUL THING’ SHE SAW DURING TRUMP’S VISIT TO THE WHITE HOUSE.
The Gracie Mansion Conservancy website notes that the residence was originally built by Archibald Gracie, a successful merchant, in 1799 and was originally a country house five miles north of what was then known as New York City. Since then, the city has expanded and this building is currently located in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, known as one of the city’s wealthiest areas.
The Conservancy also said Gracie Mansion is one of the oldest wooden buildings in Manhattan and has served as the official residence of New York City mayors since 1942.
“Parks Commissioner Robert Moses convinced City officials to designate Gracie Mansion as the official residence of the Mayor in 1942 when Fiorello H. La Guardia and his family moved into the house,” reads the exhibit’s website.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during a news conference at Gracie Mansion in New York on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (John Lamparski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
HomeAdvisor, the home improvement and contractor marketplace owned by Angi, said in 2025 the average cost of installing a bidet was $640, with a typical range of $400 to $1,500. The site noted that the cost could be as low as $40 or as high as $2,000. The type of bidet, size and quality, as well as the necessary plumbing changes can affect the cost of installation.
Meanwhile, HomeGuide, a home improvement cost guide that includes pricing data from contractors and project estimates, broke down the price of a bidet by unit and installation. The site said a freestanding bidet can cost between $700 and $2,600 including installation, while the unit and installation cost of a bidet attachment typically ranges from $100 to $300.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM
It’s not clear how the city would install the bidets at Gracie Mansion.
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection celebrated Mamdani’s announcement, saying “more bidets = fewer wipes.”
