‘Boo hoo’: The New Yorkers who cheered Mamdani’s ‘tax the rich’ video

Key Points:

• Mayor Zohran Mamdani faced backlash from the business community for publicly calling out billionaire Ken Griffin over a proposed pied-à-terre tax, highlighting Griffin’s $238 million Central Park penthouse as an example of the ultra-wealthy using NYC real estate as investments rather than homes.
• Despite criticism, many Bronx residents supported Mamdani’s approach, viewing it as a necessary critique of wealth inequality, with some praising the mayor for bringing attention to affordability issues.
• Griffin condemned Mamdani’s comments as a “personal attack” and threatened to halt a $6 billion Midtown office project, while Mamdani later softened his stance, acknowledging Griffin as an important business leader.
• The controversy sparked mixed reactions among New Yorkers, with some seeing Mamdani’s actions as justified and others feeling the mayor may have crossed a line by making the critique personal.
• Griffin is scheduled to meet with Governor Kathy Hochul without Mayor Mamdani, indicating ongoing tensions between the billionaire and city leadership.