Zohran Mamdani, 33, cited NYC’s deep economic inequality for his stance|Bingjiefu He|CC BY-SA 4.0
New York City’s Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani ruffled a few feathers on Sunday, declaring on NBC’s Meet the Press that “we should not have billionaires.”
The 33-year-old state assemblyman and democratic socialist cited NYC’s deep economic inequality for his stance.
Mamdani made headlines after a stunning primary win last week, defeating former Gov. Andrew Cuomo—who received backing from hedge fund giants and billionaires, including Dan Loeb, Bill Ackman and Michael Bloomberg.
His progressive agenda—which includes free public buses, rent freezes, and higher taxes on the wealthy—has unsettled business leaders and mainstream Democrats in the global financial capital.
President Donald Trump reacted strongly, calling Mamdani a “communist” and threatening to withhold federal funds if he wins the mayoralty.