Why the White House Deleted Post Mocking Mamdani With Knicks Logo
The White House removed a post that used the New York Knicks logo to mock Zohran Mamdani, the city’s mayor-elect, following contact from the NBA team. The post appeared on the official White House X account on Tuesday, shortly after Mamdani defeated Andrew Cuomo—endorsed by President Donald Trump—and Curtis Sliwa in the mayoral race.
The altered Knicks logo featured the phrase “Trump Is Your President.” By the next day, the post had been deleted. A source close to the Knicks confirmed to Front Office Sports that the team reached out to the White House, which then voluntarily took down the post.
“The Knicks remain neutral on political matters,” the team said in a statement. “We hope all our elected officials, whether current or recently elected, do a great job in office.”
The Mamdani campaign did not immediately respond to inquiries. Meanwhile, the White House press office sent an automatic reply blaming “staff shortages resulting from the Democrat Shutdown” for any delays but did not answer specific questions.
This incident follows an earlier exchange, when the Knicks sent Mamdani a cease and desist letter after he used his own altered version of their logo, reading “New York Zohran,” in a basketball-themed ad during the Knicks’ opener.
Author's summary: The White House deleted a post mocking Mayor-elect Mamdani with a Knicks logo after the team intervened, highlighting the intersection of political messaging and sports branding.