Who Knows Jack Schlossberg Better Than His Doorman?

Jack Schlossberg spent the last few years becoming the rarest of things: a Kennedy who actually understands the internet. JFK’s only grandson built a massive following posting shirtless thirst traps and unhinged videos of himself doing things like ripping apart a coconut with his bare hands and reciting Lord Byron on a skateboard—the kind of content that makes you wonder what his deal is. But the online shenanigans masked a Harvard-educated political conscience, most visible when he spoke out against his cousin RFK Jr.’s presidential campaign. Now, improbably, he’s translating all that into a run for Congress. At 33, Jack is making a run at the Democratic primary for Manhattan’s 12th District, doing it without a dollar of Super PAC money, and making a credible case that the guy who trolled JD Vance on TikTok might actually be the right person for the job. To find out who he really is, we let his doorman Mike Pefanis ask the questions.

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THURSDAY 4 PM, MAY 7, 2026, NEW YORK

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MIKE PEFANIS: Look at you. Where are you, handsome?

JACK SCHLOSSBERG: My building’s got a roof. Where are you at?

PEFANIS: I’m in Puerto Rico.

SCHLOSSBERG: Oh, right. How is it down there?

PEFANIS: It’s nice. I’m emptying my father-in-law’s house, slowly.

SCHLOSSBERG: Never stops for you.

PEFANIS: Buddy, it does not. You got all dressed up for me, huh?

SCHLOSSBERG: I had to. Mike, I got a question for you.

PEFANIS: Go ahead.

SCHLOSSBERG: So Harper [Learmonth, Schlossberg’s special assistant to the candidate] was telling me that young men these days are less attractive than their parents and generations in the past. I think it’s true. I mean, not for your boys, but they’re not making handsome men anymore.

PEFANIS: No, they’re not. We’re a dying breed, buddy. I think me and you are the last ones left.

SCHLOSSBERG: I know, it’s sad.

PEFANIS: Very, very sad. Alright, Jackie Boy. Where do we start? What made you run for Congress to represent New York 12?

SCHLOSSBERG: Mike, we’re living in a cost crisis, a constitutional crisis, and a corruption crisis. I believe NY12, this district, is the center of the universe, and it needs a representative who knows how to fight and how to dance, how to play politics in 2026, because the rule book has changed. I would be a great congressperson to address these three crises because I got plans. I got more plans than anyone else running.

PEFANIS: You’re a man with a plan. Why are you the best candidate to represent NY12?

SCHLOSSBERG: Many reasons. I’ll start with a couple.

PEFANIS: Okay.

SCHLOSSBERG: One of them is, money in politics is bad. The ultra-wealthy and companies are buying elections. Both of my opponents [Micah Lasher and Alex Bores] have taken in more than $5 million in Super PAC money. I don’t take any money from Super PACs, corporate PACs, or AI PACs. Having me in that seat means the voices of the people who live in this district won’t be diluted or silenced by special interests. Those voices will actually be heard, loud and clear. Second, I have plans for people to deduct their rent from their taxes and to make Trump pay for the perimeter around Trump Tower, saving New York City $300 million a year. I’m also going to save New Yorkers thousands of dollars by fully repealing the cap on state and local tax deductions. I’m going to keep people safe from AI companies that are squeezing them. I’m going to make sure we invest more in nurses and give all teachers a raise, and that people have their healthcare. Public safety is also a top priority, and I’ve got plans to make sure we pay cops overtime and protect houses of worship.

PEFANIS: Yeah, we need that because New York is getting very expensive for the working man.

SCHLOSSBERG: That’s right.

PEFANIS: Has anything changed about you since you announced you’re running?

SCHLOSSBERG: Yeah, I got a couple more gray hairs, but I have even more friends. I built an incredible campaign team, I met thousands of New Yorkers, shook their hands, and heard so many stories about what it’s like to live here now—the struggles people in this district are facing as well as their successes.

PEFANIS: Good to hear. Are you ready for this?

SCHLOSSBERG: Oh, Mike.

PEFANIS: Is Jack Schlossberg ready for this?

SCHLOSSBERG: Yeah, I’m ready. I just wish the election were today so we could get this over with and get to Congress. We can’t waste any time here. We’ve only got this one last chance to stop Trump and fix this broken political system that’s not serving people and is making life more expensive for them. I can’t wait to go down to Washington and start fighting and dancing.

PEFANIS: What time do you usually leave in the morning and what do you eat to start your day?

SCHLOSSBERG: I’m so happy you asked. I usually leave my building around 6:30, hit the gym real quick, and if I can’t do that, it’s because I have a breakfast meeting. I’m an early riser. Always have been. What do I eat? I start the day with a can of sardines.

PEFANIS: A can of sardines?

SCHLOSSBERG: Sardines right out of the can.

PEFANIS: Hopefully you brush your teeth after that.

SCHLOSSBERG: [Laughs] Yeah, I do.

PEFANIS: That’s always a good thing. Would you rather take the subway, bike, or car to get around New York City?

SCHLOSSBERG: The last thing I want to do is get into a car.

PEFANIS: Yeah.

SCHLOSSBERG: I like to take the subway, it’s the fastest. I used to love to bike, but the city’s not the same. We’ve got so many e-bikes going way too fast and now biking is a hazard. So for me, it’s the subway all day.

PEFANIS: What is your favorite type of food and where is your favorite place to eat it?

SCHLOSSBERG: My favorite type of food that I did not make myself is either an avocado or an egg or an avocado and an egg. It just doesn’t taste that good if I do it. I eat a lot at the bodega across from my house. They make an incredible bacon, egg, and cheese on a croissant. And I usually eat it while walking to my next meeting.

PEFANIS: You really can’t go wrong with bacon, egg, and cheese, all day long.

SCHLOSSBERG: Extra cheese and mayo, thank you very much. Can I have another?

PEFANIS: When you want to relax, what do you do?

SCHLOSSBERG: I paddle on the Hudson River or I get on the exercise bike or I go back up to where I grew up and talk to my good friend Mike about how things have changed. The kids aren’t like they used to be. The city’s not like it used to be, and we’ve got to do better.

PEFANIS: Yeah. And I like that you always listen. You don’t argue and say, “No, no, no.” You listen to both sides of the field.

SCHLOSSBERG: I think that’s important. I don’t want to just win a debate; I’m trying to get the answer right so we can help people. None of us are experts in everything. We have to listen to the people we intend to serve.

PEFANIS: But see, that’s where you’re a lot better. You listen and you learn.

SCHLOSSBERG: Well, Mike, you’ve taught me everything I know. If I didn’t listen, I wouldn’t have made it this far.

PEFANIS: Oh, I have another question. How many times did you take the bar exam?

SCHLOSSBERG: [Laughs] Oh, Mike, I’m so glad you asked. Just once, and the score, I was happy with it. I could have done better, but I scored in the top one percent in the whole country. I could have made it into the top 0.001 percent, but I thought my score was pretty good.

PEFANIS: Nice. So you’ve got brains and looks. [Laughs]

SCHLOSSBERG: Oh, yes. I’m not as dumb as I look.

PEFANIS: How do you deal with all this attention you’re receiving?

SCHLOSSBERG: Well, it’s for something I really want. I’m not running a campaign to promote myself, but to make sure that New York City—my hometown, the neighborhood I grew up in—that we’re represented in the national conversation in Washington, D.C., because of all the places in the world, the middle of Manhattan needs somebody who can make sure the voices of the people who live here are amplified. We give so much to this country. More patents and copyrights are held here in Manhattan than any other district on earth.

PEFANIS: I didn’t know that.

SCHLOSSBERG: We got Broadway here, we got the Empire State Building here. We need somebody who can bring this place the attention it deserves, because America needs New Yorkers right now. If it were up to New Yorkers, we would not be in this mess.

PEFANIS: We need good New Yorkers like you. What are your plans for today?

SCHLOSSBERG: I got three different events I’m going to. I’m stopping by someone else’s fundraiser to support them. Another candidate running for Congress. Then I’m going to an Irish Americans event. You know I’m half Irish and I’m proud of it. And then I’m going to an event for a sitting congressman who represents Long Island very well. Then I’m going to go to sleep, wake up, and do it again.

PEFANIS: Wow. Are you a coffee person?

SCHLOSSBERG: Oh, yeah. You know what my coffee order is?

PEFANIS: What?

SCHLOSSBERG: Two coffees.

PEFANIS: [Laughs] Unbelievable, man. I am so proud of you, buddy. You have a good heart and you actually care.

SCHLOSSBERG: I do. It’s harder because I do actually care. That’s why I got so many of these gray hairs now. I’m busy caring over here, when no one else does.

PEFANIS: Listen, I’ll take any strand of that hair on my head.

SCHLOSSBERG: Thanks, Mike. How long have I known you for?

PEFANIS: I started working at your building in 2001, so we’ve known each other 25 years.

SCHLOSSBERG: What?! Happy 25th. What’s your beauty secret? Being a loving father, working your ass off?

PEFANIS: A beautiful wife at home, my friend.

SCHLOSSBERG: Yeah.

PEFANIS: Speaking of wives, is there anybody special in your life?

SCHLOSSBERG: Nobody special right now.

PEFANIS: Just your mom.

SCHLOSSBERG: Listen, my mom and my niece and nephew and my dad. I love him too. He’s a great guy.

PEFANIS: You do have an awesome family.

SCHLOSSBERG: They’re the best.

PEFANIS: Your family really cares about working class people.

SCHLOSSBERG: That’s our family’s tradition. Other people just want to keep stuff for themselves.

PEFANIS: Yeah. I feel like nobody in New York can relax because everything just went through the roof.

SCHLOSSBERG: Exactly. Everyone’s completely freaked out that they’re not going to be able to stay where they live or be able to feed their kids. It’s insane.

PEFANIS: New York got so expensive I had to get a second job. At the end of the day, a lot of us are paycheck to paycheck.

SCHLOSSBERG: Exactly.

PEFANIS: I know people don’t believe that, and that’s why I feel like everybody is so upset, because years ago we were able to go out for dinner. You can’t go out for dinner now.

SCHLOSSBERG: How much does a drink cost you? Twenty-five dollars.

PEFANIS: Go get a slice of pizza, 10 bucks. When my kids get older, how much do they need to go on a date for a movie? A hundred dollars? That used to be a family thing.

SCHLOSSBERG: It’s insane.

PEFANIS: Or a Knicks game, good luck with that. I got to work all week for a hot dog. [Laughs] It’s nuts, man. That’s why I’m so happy you’re running. And hopefully you go even farther because America needs somebody like you.

SCHLOSSBERG: What can I say? You taught me the right way.

PEFANIS: That’s it.

SCHLOSSBERG: I was raised by Mike. I grew up living on 78th Street and unfortunately lived at home till I was about 30. You’ve been there since I can remember.

PEFANIS: And we used to hang out. I used to tell you how much better the Mets were.

SCHLOSSBERG: And what about the McDonald’s Nugget Challenge?

PEFANIS: We had to finish 50 chicken nuggets, a Big Mac, and a cheeseburger. I couldn’t do it, but Jackie Boy pulled it off.

SCHLOSSBERG: I pulled it off as a ninth grader. And then there’s all the romantic advice. You know more about my romantic life than just about anybody on this planet.

PEFANIS: [Laughs] Yes.

SCHLOSSBERG: You helped me out of some bad situations. Sometimes we had to go to you just to talk it out between the two of us.

PEFANIS: And you also helped me out a lot. During COVID, I told you my kids were always looking at screens. I had two jobs and I couldn’t afford anything. You sent toys so the kids could go outside and play with them.

SCHLOSSBERG: You’ve got to. COVID was brutal for everybody.

PEFANIS: Yeah. And I’ll tell you about how good Jackie Boy is. My mother-in-law and my wife were going through some very hard times. My in-laws retired to Puerto Rico because New York was so expensive. My wife had to fly back and my kids were young, and I didn’t have anybody to watch them. And Jackie Boy said, “Listen, I will come to your house so you don’t miss work.” And he would even sleep over so I wouldn’t miss a day of work. Nobody has ever done that for me.

SCHLOSSBERG: Not all superheroes wear capes, but you deserve a medal of freedom for raising three of the best kids in all of New York—Jake, George, and Johnny Boy.

PEFANIS: Yes.

SCHLOSSBERG: And nobody makes me laugh harder than Mike.

PEFANIS: Listen, you’ve got to laugh in life. If you’re not laughing, you’re crying.

SCHLOSSBERG: Exactly.

PEFANIS: I don’t want to sound messed up, but you’re a rare breed, man. You’re like a unicorn, my friend. An honest politician. If you say you’re going to get it done, I’ll bet my house you’re going to get it done. That’s how much I know.

SCHLOSSBERG: Thanks, Mike.

PEFANIS: Anytime, Jackie Boy. I’ll see you when I get back.

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Photography Assistant: Colin Patrick Smith.

Production Direction: Alexandra Weiss.

Photography Production: Georgia Ford.

Post-production: the hand of god.