New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration has been funneling taxpayer money to approximately 200 social media influencers — paying them between $5,000 and $20,000 per campaign to produce pro-government content on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
That's government-funded propaganda. In America. In 2026.
The Gateway Pundit's Mike LaChance reported on the growing scandal, which centers on an encrypted Signal group called "NYC Creators Announcements" where the administration distributes talking points and coordinates messaging with its paid influencer army. The use of Signal — an app specifically designed for disappearing messages — is the detail that turns a bad story into a damning one. You don't use encrypted, self-destructing communications to coordinate a perfectly legal, perfectly innocent outreach program.
The Columbia Journalism Review investigated the arrangement and found that "despite the fact that taxpayer money is being spent on campaigns involving influencers, information about these relationships is closely guarded." The city tried to frame the setup as routine. The Columbia Journalism Review noted that "in many ways, the Signal group is similar to a traditional press list created and used by communications teams, in that the influencers receive updates and can decide what they choose to cover."
Similar to a press list. Except a press list doesn't come with a $5,000 to $20,000 check from the city treasury. Reporters on a press list aren't being paid by the government to produce favorable coverage. That's the difference between a press briefing and a payroll.
Mamdani's response was boilerplate municipal damage control. "My administration will always strive to fully comply with all legal requirements, including those that relate to the preservation of city records," the mayor said. Notice what's missing from that statement: any denial that taxpayer money went to influencers. Any explanation of why an encrypted messaging app was necessary. Any accounting of how much total money was spent. He promised to comply with record-keeping laws — after using a platform built to destroy records.
NYC agency employees told reporters the going rate was $5,000 to $20,000 per influencer campaign. Multiply that across 200 influencers and multiple campaigns and you're looking at a taxpayer-funded propaganda operation that could run into the millions. In a city where residents can't afford rent, can't ride the subway without checking over their shoulder, and can't walk through Times Square without stepping over someone sleeping on the sidewalk.
This is the same city government that lectures the rest of the country about transparency, accountability, and the sacred role of a free press. The same political machine that howls about "disinformation" on social media. And behind the curtain, they're running a paid influence operation through encrypted channels, using public money, and guarding the details like a state secret.
Two hundred influencers. Taxpayer checks. Encrypted messaging. Disappearing records. And a mayor whose only public comment was a promise to follow the law going forward.
That's not outreach. That's a line item.
