Several Republican leaders criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani after he warned New Yorkers not to overstrain the power grid during the brutal heat, even as they issued similar requests in their own states.

Mamdani wrote in a post on Twitter on Wednesday that residents should “set your AC to 78 degrees, turn off lights/electronics you’re not using, and unplug what you can.”

“Our City is doing its part too: maintaining the 78 degrees rule in our buildings, dimming/turning off our lights during peak electricity demand, asking private partners to do the same, and powering down non-essential equipment,” he said. “A stable grid means the AC stays on, and lives are saved. Let’s ease demand — and get through the heat — together.”

— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@mayor.nyc.gov) 2026-07-01T20:05:29.016Z

The backlash from Republican leaders across the U.S. was swift, with several labeling the move ‘socialism’ or ‘communism,’ even though they similarly asked residents to moderate their energy use to protect their states’ power grid during extreme temperatures.

Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley reposted Mamdani’s comments and wrote, “Welcome to socialism.”

But in 2015, Haley asked residents of South Carolina to “set your thermostat at 68 or lower. By doing these things, it allows us to all come together to avoid any power outages during this time.”

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis joked, “Is this what was meant by the warmth of collectivism?”

The Florida Public Service Commission, whose members were all appointed by DeSantis, instructs residents to set their thermostats to 78 degrees throughout the entire summer.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) joked that “in a first-world country, you could turn on the A/C.” A community note was added to Cruz’s post, noting that Texas has also asked residents to turn their AC units to 78 degrees.

In Texas, the Electric Reliability Council told residents to not only keep their thermostats at 78 degrees in the summer but also to turn them down to 68 degrees in the winter. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott appoints every member of the council.

Also, recent guidance from Donald Trump’s Department of Energy suggests keeping thermostats at 78 degrees during summer and raising the temperature if no one is home.