Hayes Compares Protestors To Selma Marchers, Gushes Over Mamdani Shoveling Snow

Alex Christy
January 27th, 2026 12:42 PM

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On Minneapolis, Meyers was optimistic that the administration is losing, “It seems as though, certainly today, there’s a bit of Trump maybe doing his classic thing of backing off a little bit. There's talk that maybe Bovino is going to leave Minneapolis. Tom Homan’s going to come in. That they might actually sense the way the wind is blowing on this, which is it is deeply unpopular. And they are not, at least at this point, capable of bending this reality in the way that maybe they have with other issues in the past. Do you feel like they're stepping back from the precipice of this a little?”

Hayes agreed, “They are. Here's what I feel. They are unambiguously losing. They are losing.”

 

 

According to Hayes, that is because the protestors are just the latest in a non-violent resistance, “And part of the tradition of non-violent civil resistance and disobedience from Gandhi, through King, through what we've seen on the streets of Minneapolis is that in fearlessly—in a fearless and disciplined fashion, refusing to give an inch to the regime, you expose its malevolence. And that's what happened on the Edmund Pettus Bridge when the cops started beating up the protesters. It's what we've seen in Minneapolis.”

He added, “And the hope for that kind of disciplined resistance is that it wakes people up to the moral truth that's at the core of the relationship between the forces of oppression and the people being oppressed. And we are seeing one of those moments right now. It has cost two people their lives. And other people not going to school, and other people being tear gassed, and other people being thrown into detention. But this has been a tremendous political and moral victory. Even if nothing happens up until this point, at the horrible tragic cost of these two lives—and they are absolutely getting their butts kicked—they're not going to just throw in the towel and admit it. But I think they are now looking for the exits in a real way.”

One of the two people Hayes referenced, Renee Good, drove her car at an ICE agent after being told to get out of the car. Regardless of what the investigation surrounding the Alex Pretti shooting reveals, that will not change.

What did change was the subject in the second segment. Meyers lamented that in the future, uncharismatic politicians are going to try a little too hard to be cool, “Do you fear that we are now going to see a lot of less charismatic politicians try to pull off the Mamdani/Trump playbook?”

Hayes agreed that it will happen but “I actually don't think it's the worst thing. I mean, look, this is the way politics works. It's the way sports work, right? Some new team figures out some new offense, and everyone kind of copycats it. You've seen a lot of, like, really cringe worthy knockoff Donald Trump impressions by Republicans. Ron DeSantis coming to mind most foremost.”

Moving on to all the snow that dumped on New York over the weekend, Hayes continued, “But one of the things I think that's been really interesting about watching Mamdani make that transition from campaigning to governing is his continued understanding of how important that attention is. I mean, he put out this video about snow plowing, right? And it wasn't a campaign video. It was totally non-ideological. It wasn't even political. It was just like, ‘Here's how we're going to plow the snow in the streets, and here's what you should expect.’ But it was really good. And it was compelling.”

 

 

Both Meyers and Hayes then agreed the video was so “fun” that you could show it to your kids.

Speaking of Mamdani and the weather, earlier, on The Tonight Show, Fallon was doing his “it’s so cold” bit, “It's so cold, JD Vance shrunk to the size of Marco Rubio. It is so cold, I watched the Melania movie just to warm my heart, you know? It’s so cold, President Trump got a space heater installed in his MRI machine.”

 

 

Mamdani then interrupted, and after a long standing ovation from the audience, promoted one of his worst ideas, “It’s so cold in New York City, the rent froze itself. Good night, everybody.”

Even the weather does not make the late night shows immune from pushing far-left values.

Here are transcripts for the January 26-taped shows:

NBC Late Night with Seth Meyers

1/27/2026

1:03 AM ET

SETH MEYERS: It seems as though, certainly today, there’s a bit of Trump maybe doing his classic thing of backing off a little bit. There's talk that maybe Bovino is going to leave Minneapolis. Tom Homan’s going to come in. That they might actually sense the way the wind is blowing on this, which is it is deeply unpopular. And they are not, at least at this point, capable of bending this reality in the way that maybe they have with other issues in the past. Do you feel like they're stepping back from the precipice of this a little?

CHRIS HAYES: They are. Here's what I feel. They are unambiguously losing.

MEYERS: Right.

HAYES: They are losing. And part of the tradition of non-violent civil resistance and disobedience from Gandhi, through King, through what we've seen on the streets of Minneapolis is that in fearlessly—in a fearless and disciplined fashion, refusing to give an inch to the regime, you expose its malevolence. And that's what happened on the Edmund Pettus Bridge when the cops started beating up the protesters.

It's what we've seen in Minneapolis. And the hope for that kind of disciplined resistance is that it wakes people up to the moral truth that's at the core of the relationship between the forces of oppression and the people being oppressed. And we are seeing one of those moments right now. It has cost two people their lives. And other people not going to school, and other people being tear gassed, and other people being thrown into detention. But this has been a tremendous political and moral victory.

Even if nothing happens up until this point, at the horrible tragic cost of these two lives—and they are absolutely getting their butts kicked—they're not going to just throw in the towel and admit it. But I think they are now looking for the exits in a real way.

…

MEYERS: Our mayor, Mamdani, did seem to understand that, maybe the first, sort of, post-Trump politician—

HAYES: Totally.

MEYERS: —to become national in a position that is not a national position. Do you fear that we are now going to see a lot of less charismatic politicians try to pull off the Mamdani/Trump playbook?

HAYES: Oh, we're going to get so much vertical video—

MEYERS: Yeah.

HAYES: —you're going to be— I mean, you're already seeing, like, every Democratic candidate—

MEYERS: Yeah.

HAYES: —trying to take the form of elements. But I actually don't think it's the worst thing. I mean, look, this is the way politics works.

MEYERS: Yeah.

HAYES: It's the way sports work, right? Some new team figures out some new offense, and everyone kind of copycats it.

MEYERS: Yeah.

HAYES: You've seen a lot of, like, really cringe worthy knockoff Donald Trump impressions by Republicans.

MEYERS: Yep. Yep.

HAYES: Ron DeSantis coming to mind most foremost.

MEYERS: Yeah.

HAYES: And I think you'll get a lot of that with Mamdani. But one of the things I think that's been really interesting about watching Mamdani make that transition from campaigning to governing is his continued understanding of how important that attention is.

MEYERS: Yeah.

HAYES: I mean, he put out this video about snow plowing, right? And it wasn't a campaign video. It was totally non-ideological. It wasn't even political. It was just like, "Here's how we're going to plow the snow in the streets—

MEYERS: Yeah.

HAYES: — and here's what you should expect." But it was really good. And it was compelling. 

MEYERS: It was fun to show my kids.

HAYES: It was fun to show your kids.

***

NBC The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

1/26/2026

11:35 PM ET

JIMMY FALLON: It's so cold, JD Vance shrunk to the size of Marco Rubio. It is so cold, I watched the Melania movie just to warm my heart, you know? It’s so cold, President Trump got a space heater installed in his MRI machine.

ZOHRAN MAMDANI: Hey, Jimmy, let me try one. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. It’s so cold in New York City, the rent froze itself. Good night, everybody.

FALLON: Mayor Zohran Mamdani, everyone. Thank you, mayor, very much.

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