Mayor Zohran Mamdani held rival Curtis Sliwa's hand as both got flu shots in Brooklyn, a staged bid to boost vaccinations before cold weather.

On Friday, New York City's Democratic mayor and the Republican he defeated last November sat for flu shots at a doctor's office in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Newser reported that Mamdani took Sliwa's hand during the vaccination and told him, "I've got you."

The stop was staged to push more New Yorkers to get vaccinated as colder weather arrives. Sliwa rolled up his sleeve, flashed an "I got my flu shot" button, and joked about using the button to ride the subway.

He reminded cameras he had once survived being shot five times. He also asked what would happen if he fainted.

Sliwa told the cameras:

"This is not the kind of shots we used to give one another!"

He followed with another line for the room: "What happens if I faint?" Health officials cite CDC figures showing a flu vaccine can cut the chance of needing a doctor's visit for flu by as much as 60%.

Former rivals share a needle after a hard-fought race

Last November, Mamdani beat Sliwa for City Hall. Friday's scene traded campaign combat for a joint message on vaccines, complete with hand-holding and a souvenir button.

The friendly optics land atop a mayoralty already defined by fights over Mamdani's socialist agenda and what it means for the city he now runs.

A single morning in Fort Greene does not settle those arguments. It does offer a clear picture of how City Hall wants to be seen as the weather turns.

Away from the doctor's office, attention has also fixed on Mamdani's first management report and the early test of his governing claims.

Sliwa played along with the bit. He took the shot, held the mayor's hand, and gave the cameras the lines they came for. The pair left with a simple public-health pitch and a visual of bipartisan calm.

Mamdani has likewise stayed tied to progressive legal strategy, including a sanctuary-city lawsuit track that marks his approach to federal rules.

None of that vanished because two old opponents shared a clinic chair. The flu-shot stop was a message event. The rest of the record is the longer story voters still watch.

His personnel choices have drawn their own scrutiny, including his decision to keep a scandal-linked strategist close after a campaign collapse elsewhere.

Friday gave New York a soft image: the mayor steadying his former foe, a button for the subway joke, and a push to get shots before winter. Cold weather is a real season. So is accountability.

Hand-holding for the cameras is easy. Delivering a city that works is the test that sticks.