NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani released his plan to “tax the rich” on Thursday, and people have a TON of thoughts about it.
The proposal would impose a tax on second homes in NYC valued at $5 million or more. Essentially, it’s a luxury tax on the ultra-wealthy who own prime real estate they don’t actually live in. Governor Kathy Hochul expects the measure to generate about $500 million annually to help close NYC’s budget gap.
Mamdani released a video about it, and it has gone very, very viral. According to his video director, it’s already their most-viewed video of all time.
Happy Tax Day, New York. We’re taxing the rich. pic.twitter.com/Wky2LFXC9W
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) April 15, 2026NYCMayor/Twitter: @NYCMayor
And let me tell you, the MAGAs are not happy about it!
Ben Shapiro lost it, calling Mamdani a “smarmy marxist”: “This smarmy Marxist doesn’t see taxes primarily as a way to provide necessary public services. He sees them as revenge. He celebrates the confiscation of wealth he did nothing to earn. This is pure class envy, and it’s hideous.”
Ted Cruz decided to chime in, saying, “Texas & Florida realtors’ phones are ringing….”
And former X CEO Linda Yaccarino called the clip “one of the scariest things” she’s ever seen. Yes, really:
TERRIFYING.
Meanwhile, people who don’t own $5 million pieds-à-terres had slightly different perspectives: “Yeah i mean this is great.”
This person pointed out one interesting detail of the tax strategy: “The cool thing about this policy is that there is a very easy way for the rich to avoid it: they can simply live in NYC full time. Instead of incentivizing the rich to leave New York it incentivizes them to *stay* in New York.”
And then there are the jokes: “Somewhere out there there’s a dude who makes $20k a year who’s mad about this.”
This one: “I make $45k/year, my truck payment is $800/month, and I am boiling mad about this.”
And this one: “The number of people who will never see a million dollars in the lives complaining on behalf of rich folks about this is hilarious.”
I’ll leave you with this final thought from a potential new resident: “It’s surreal to say but this guy is so charismatic that it almost makes me want to move to nyc.”
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