New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has lost the blue verification checkmark on his personal X account, just days after his viral post mocking US Vice President JD Vance attracted millions of views. The disappearance of the badge was noticed by users on November 6, prompting questions about whether X owner Elon Musk had personally removed it or whether the mayor had stopped paying for the platform's premium subscription.
Several users turned to X's artificial intelligence chatbot Grok for answers, but no official explanation has emerged for the missing checkmark. The development comes after Mamdani shared a nine-second video on November 3 in response to Vance's claims about the Trump administration's achievements in New York.
Vance had posted a list of accomplishments, including lower crime rates, tax relief and billions of dollars in investments, claiming that the administration was delivering results for New Yorkers. Instead of issuing a lengthy statement, Mamdani shared a video showing a man pretending to stop a subway train, open its doors and help passengers board.
The clip, widely interpreted as mocking Vance for taking credit for developments beyond his control, attracted more than 28 million views and over 2 million likes. However, there is no evidence that the viral video was responsible for Mamdani losing his blue checkmark.
Under X's current rules, the badge indicates an active Premium subscription rather than independent verification of a user's identity. The platform can also temporarily remove checkmarks when users change their profile pictures, display names or usernames.
X reserves the right to withdraw badges without notice for violations of its rules. It remains unclear whether Mamdani's subscription expired, his account underwent a review or the badge was removed for another reason.
Observers note that the social media platform has frequently updated its verification system since its acquisition by Elon Musk. Changes to subscription tiers and payment verifications have often led to confusion surrounding high-profile political accounts and verified badges.
As digital platforms continue to adjust their policies regarding public figures and government officials, incidents involving verified checkmarks draw intense public scrutiny. Mayor Mamdani's office has not released a formal statement regarding the status of his X account subscription.
Public interest remains high as social media analysts monitor whether the checkmark will be restored following standard platform procedures or if further policy changes will affect verified accounts across the United States.