Anti-parade Zohran Mamdani touts affordable housing agenda as he meets with servicemen on Veterans Day

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani touted his affordable housing agenda Tuesday as he bucked the New York City Veterans Day Parade to visit with former servicemen in The Bronx.

“The days of thanking you today and forgetting you tomorrow have to come to an end” Mamdani told the group of about three dozen at the Commonwealth Veterans Residence in Parkchester.

The socialist skipped out on the annual march up Fifth Avenue, a break from tradition compared to predecessors Bill de Blasio and Eric Adams who each attended as mayor-elect, as he admitted, “I haven’t thought much about parades.”

“I wanted to ensure that on Veterans Day, I actually got the time to sit down with veterans and hear from them,” he said, “and some of the stories that I heard from men who have served this country and given everything they could to protect this nation, is that they have often been left behind and forgotten by this same nation, by this same city.”

Mamdani served up fried chicken, ziti and other grub for lunch before sitting down with the vets, including one man who admitted he didn’t vote for the Queens assemblyman and urged him to renew people’s faith in government.

“The people of this city really believe in you, and the people really want to stand behind you so I would hope that you take that to heart,” the veteran said, according to video shot by a NY1 reporter.

Another vet who served in the US Marines placed a wings pin on Mamdani’s jacket, which he said he’d gotten on a recent trip to Atlantic City.

The incoming mayor said veterans face “disproportionate struggles” in the city, including for housing.

He vowed that his administration would work to help the nation’s heroes “every single day.”

Mamdani’s campaign platform webpage doesn’t specifically address veteran issues, but his mayoral transition camp said former servicemembers would benefit from his wide-ranging affordability agenda.

“The mayor-elect’s affordability agenda recognizes that no one who has served this country should be priced out of the city they call home,” Mamdani’s spokesperson said.

The rep said Mamdani’s admin would also buff up existing city programs that help veterans.

“Not only will his affordable housing plan build on programs like SARA and ELLA to expand affordable housing for veterans and other New Yorkers hit hardest by rising costs, but investments in mental health, no-cost childcare and fast, free buses will allow veterans to live, work, raise a family, and retire in dignity. Every veteran in New York deserves not just a home, but a city they can afford.”

Mamdani has previously been dodgy about which parades he would participate in as mayor, saying during one of the pre-election debates: “I haven’t thought much about parades to be honest with you.”