Socialist Zohran Mamdani targets billionaires to make NYC more affordable for working class

Zohran Mamdani is anti-billionaire.

Fresh off a strong showing in the Democratic mayoral primary, Mr. Mamdani, a socialist, said his vision for the city of New York is focused on making New York City — “the wealthiest city” in the nation — more affordable for the working class.

“I don’t think that we should have billionaires because, frankly, it is so much money in a moment of such inequality,” Mr. Mamdani said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “And ultimately, what we need more of is equality across our city and across our state and across our country.”

“And I look forward to working with everyone, including billionaires, to make a city that is fairer for all of them,” he said.

Mr. Mamdani appears to be on a crash course with Mayor Eric Adams in the general election this fall.

Mr. Adams won the office as a Democrat in 2021. He chose to run as an independent this time around after being indicted on corruption charges last year, which the Department of Justice has decided not to pursue.

“This election is a choice between a candidate with a blue collar and one with a silver spoon,” Mr. Adams said at his campaign launch late last week. “A choice between someone who delivered lower crime, the most jobs in history, and the most houses built in decades, and an assembly member who did not pass a bill.”

The comments were directed at Mr. Mamdani, who shocked the Democratic establishment after he easily outpaced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the party’s ranked-choice primary.

Mr. Mamdani is running on a promise of free buses, rent-stabilized housing, a $30 minimum wage, and the launch of city-owned grocery stores.

He also wants to raise taxes on New Yorkers who make more than $1 million a year — a proposal that Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul has thrown cold water on.

During his appearance on “Meet the Press,” Mr. Mamdani said he intends to keep his campaign promises if given the chance to be the city’s next mayor, while also vowing to keep New York as a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants.

“It’s a policy that had previously been defended by Democrats and Republicans alike, until the fear-mongering of this current mayor,” he said. “It’s a policy that we’ve seen ensures that New Yorkers can get out of the shadows and into the full life of the city that they belong to, and it’s one that I will be proud to stand up for.”

Mr. Mamdani said his campaign offers a way forward for national Democrats.

“Ultimately, what we’re showing is that by putting working people first, by returning to the roots of the Democratic Party, we actually have a path out of this moment where we’re facing authoritarianism in Washington, D.C.,” he said.