Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey makes bizarre joke about remote work, says it turns you into 'a loser'

During an address on Wednesday, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey took a jab at remote work while praising the benefits of downtown Minneapolis. 

While speaking at the Minneapolis Downtown Council's annual meeting, Frey, a Democrat, joked that remote work ultimately turns you into "a loser."

"I don't know if you saw this study the other day, what this study clearly showed... is that when people who have the ability to come downtown but don't," Frey explained. "When they stay home, sitting on their couch with their nasty cat blanket, diddlin' on their laptop. If they do that for a few months, you become a loser. It's a study. We're not losers, are we?"

Frey's comments were met with laughter from the crowd.  

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Many office spaces and businesses in downtown Minneapolis have reportedly been empty and abandoned since the COVID-19 pandemic, with companies shifting to a remote work model. 

Frey urged the crowd to return to downtown as remote work had allegedly caused a negative impact on the downtown economy. 

"Come experience the greatness of downtown," Frey said. "Come back to work."

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FOX 9 questioned the mayor about where the alleged study came from. A spokesperson for the mayor cleared the air and told Fox 9 that Frey was joking, and the study wasn't real.

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"We're winners, we're resilient, we're tough, we're strong, we're innovative," the mayor concluded. "We rise to the challenge, we get knocked down seven times, and we get back up eight. That is who we are as a city."