During an appearance this week on “Andrew Schulz\u2019s Flagrant with Akaash Singh” podcast, Mamdani defended his proposals to raise the corporate tax rate, shift more of the tax burden to “richer and whiter neighborhoods,” and add a flat 2% income tax on earners making over $1 million \u2014 insisting his plan wouldn\u2019t drive anyone out of the state. His critics, including Independent mayoral candidate and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, disagree.<\/p>\n
“The same people who will say, \u2018Oh, we can\u2019t afford free buses. We can’t afford $700 million a year in making the slowest buses in America fast and free \u2013'” Mamdani began during a discussion about how to best use political capital to benefit New Yorkers, before he was interrupted by the host of the podcast, Andrew Schulz.<\/p>\n
\u2018ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK\u2019: RESEARCHER PREDICTS NYC BUSINESS EXODUS IF ZOHRAN MAMDANI WINS<\/a><\/p>\n New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani laughs with hosts on “Andrew Schulz’s Flagrant with Akaash Singh” podcast that aired on Wednesday Oct. 22, 2025. (\u00a0(CREDIT: Andrew Schulz’s Flagrant w Akaash Singh; Oct. 22, 2025))<\/p>\n “I don’t agree with that, I think you can. I also think this idea that New Yorkers are going to flee because of a 2% increase,” Schulz interjected. “It’s like, \u2018I\u2019ve been everywhere else. You’re not going anywhere.’ Bill Ackman’s not going nowhere, he’s going to be in the Hamptons all summer.”<\/p>\n “There’s only one place to write those tweets \u2013 New York City,”<\/a> Mamdani shot back as the group laughed amongst each other, referring to conservative billionaire Bill Ackman’s active presence on X slamming his campaign and liberal New York policies.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Your A\/C goes out in July, in Miami, he’s sweating writing tweets? There’s no way,” Schulz continued, before Mamdani chimed in amid all the laughter: “He’s spending more money against me than I would even tax him. Every day, it’s like a million dollars, a million dollars \u2026 you’re going above-and-beyond.”<\/p>\n New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani speaks during an interview on “The Story with Martha MacCallum” at Fox News on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025, in New York City.\u00a0 (Photo by Evan Agostini\/Invision\/AP)<\/p>\n Fox News Digital reached out to the Mamdani campaign for comment but did not immediately hear back.<\/p>\n CUOMO CALLS NYC MAYORAL RIVAL ‘DANGEROUS,’ WARNS SOCIALISM WOULD BE ‘DEATH KNELL’ FOR CITY<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Cuomo, who is running as an Independent after losing to Mamdani in the primary, told Fox News’s “America’s Newsroom” this week that Mamdani\u2019s democratic socialist policies would drive up taxes and push people to flee the city.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n “You keep taxing businesses and wealthy people in New York City, there will be nobody left,” Cuomo argued. “Well, Mamdani is a socialist Democrat, his answers are always the same \u2013\u2013 tax business, tax the rich, raise taxes, raise taxes, provide everything free. Free transportation, free food. Free, free, free,” Cuomo continued. “New Yorkers know there is no free.”<\/p>\n And Cuomo isn’t alone in this assessment.<\/p>\n From left to right: Andrew Cuomo; Zohran Mamdani. (Photographer: Angelina Katsanis\/AP)<\/p>\n “The threat of people leaving high tax, high crime jurisdictions like New York and other places is real,” Boca Raton, Florida’s Republican mayor, Scott Singer, told Fox News Digital.<\/a> \u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Zohran](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/zohran-mamdani-podcast-mayor-taxes-joke-nyc.jpg\")
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