\u201cWhat the mayor is proposing is popular,\u201d Sanders said during his remarks and who was greeted at the event by thunderous applause and cheers. \u201cThe widely respected pollsters at Siena [a polling company] found that 54% of New York State voters supported Mayor Mamdani\u2019s tax increase, and the numbers were much higher in New York City. Today, I would ask Gov. Hochul to listen to where people are at,\u201d he said. [Watch more of the senator\u2019s remarks in the attached videos.]<\/p>\n
This point had also been shared earlier by local State Sen. Gustavo\u00a0Rivera (S.D. 33), who broadly represents the northwest Bronx along with Fordham, Belmont, Morris Park, Morris Heights, Pelham Parkway, Van Nest, and Little Yemen. Rivera highlighted how the tax the rich policy was politically popular.<\/p>\n
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The senator later said, \u201cI am incredibly grateful to Senator Bernie Sanders for joining us in The Bronx to amplify our call for revenue raising measures in the final budget that will make the ultra wealthy and corporations pay their fair share. Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are on the brink of losing health coverage because of Republicans in Washington. If we want to make New York affordable, we need to stop coddling the ultra-wealthy while leaving working class New Yorkers footing the bill.\u201d Watch more of his remarks in the attached videos.<\/p>\n
TAX THE RICH rally with Independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) at Lehman College, Bedford Park, Bronx, Sunday, March 29, 2026. V1 Video by S\u00edle Moloney<\/p>\n
Among the other elected officials who spoke at the event were Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who said in part that taxing the most wealthy shouldn\u2019t be so hard. He thanked what he said was over 90% of Black women and the over 80% of Black men who he said had voted to progress an affordability agenda. \u201cI am also tired of having to tell Democrats to stop trying to act like baby Republicans, because acting like baby Republicans is the reason why we have Donald Trump in the first place,\u201d he said in part, in reference to his colleagues who align with the Democratic Party center. He said Democratic leadership had not learned the lessons that brought about a Trump presidency.<\/p>\n
Among other elected officials who spoke at the event, in addition to Williams, Rivera and State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez (S.D. 59), who represents parts of Queens, Manhattan and Brooklyn, some other Bronx elected leaders joined Rivera on stage during his remarks.<\/p>\n
TAX THE RICH rally with Bernie Sanders at Lehman College, Bedford Park, Bronx, Sunday, March 29, 2026. V2 State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33) addresses those gathered. Video by S\u00edle Moloney<\/p>\n
They included Assembly Member George Alvarez (A.D. 78), who broadly represents Kingsbridge Heights, Fordham, Bedford Park and Belmont, City Council Member Pierina Sanchez (C.D. 14), who broadly represents University Heights (South)-Morris Heights, Mount Hope, Fordham Heights, University Heights (North)-Fordham, Bedford Park, Kingsbridge Heights-Van Cortlandt Village, Kingsbridge-Marble Hill, and City Council Member Althea Stevens (C.D. 16), who broadly represents Morrisania, Claremont Village-Claremont (East), Concourse-Concourse Village, Highbridge, Mount Eden-Claremont (West), Yankee Stadium-Macombs Dam Park, Claremont Park, University Heights (South)-Morris Heights, and University Heights (North)-Fordham.<\/p>\n
Additional speakers included New York State Nurses Association President Nancy Hagans, PSC-CUNY President James Davis, 1199SEIU leader Avia Agababa, New York State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, and Assemblymember Diana Moreno.<\/p>\n
Tax the Rich Rally with Bernie Sanders at Lehman College, Bedford Park, Bronx, Sunday, March 29, 2026. V3 State Sen. Gustavo Rivera addresses those gathered. Video by S\u00edle Moloney<\/p>\n
For her part, Agababa said, \u201cRight now, healthcare workers like me are constantly being asked to do more with less, at the expense of our bodies, our backs, and at the expense of our nursing home residents. The problem is about to become so much worse. Trump and the Republicans cut $1 trillion in healthcare to give tax breaks to the ultra-rich and to pump more money into ICE.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The 1199SEIU leader who is also a CNA at a Bronx nursing home, added, \u201cNew York, it is time to do better. We can do better by standing up to the billionaires and oligarchs who believe healthcare workers and our patients are disposable. My nursing home residents, the elders of this neighborhood, need the rich to pay their fair share. By taxing the rich we can help ensure that nursing home residents, other seniors, and all New Yorkers can get the vital services that they need and that they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Later, NYC-DSA Co-Chair Gustavo Gordillo said of the event, \u201cSenator Sanders\u2019 message to Governor Hochul is clear \u2013 we need a united front against Trump and the billionaires he serves. If Bernie can fight Trump in DC, Hochul and the rest of us can fight him from Albany by taxing the rich and funding the services working people rely on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, NYC-DSA Co-Chair Grace Mausser said Sanders\u2019 involvement at the event showed that New York\u2019s budget fight wasn\u2019t just a local issue. \u201cGovernor Hochul has a chance to stand up to Trump while backing the working class, and she can do that by taxing the rich,\u201d she said. Throughout the event, the crowd shouted, \u201cTax the Rich!\u201d<\/p>\n After the rally, Norwood News spoke to Sarah, a public health student at Columbia University, and Nathan, both residents of Manhattan, and asked them for their reaction to the event. \u201cI would say that we need a tax system that\u2019s similar to nations that can provide more welfare services because we know that an equitable society is a happier society,\u201d Nathan said. It was his third time to see Sanders in person. \u201cMore people are content with this kind of society,\u201d he said. \u201cInequality breeds all other social ills, crime, dissatisfaction, polarization so solving the equity crisis is solving all other crises in a sense.\u2019<\/p>\n Tax the Rich Rally with Bernie Sanders at Lehman College, Bedford Park, Bronx, Sunday, March 29, 2026. V4 New York State Nurses Association President Nancy Hagans addresses the crowd. Video by S\u00edle Moloney<\/p>\n We asked the two what they believed was the reason for pushback against taxing the wealthy [among middle-class Americans] and if it was a question of better understanding the tax system, for example. \u201cHmmm\u2026it seems as if people are buying the myth that they will achieve the level of wealth that they [millionaires] will, so therefore, you don\u2019t want to tax the people because you, yourself, want to achieve this, when in reality, the \u2018American Dream\u2019 is more unachievable here than it is in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, what have you,\u201d Nathan said.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n He added, \u201cI think we\u2019re the 25th most likely to achieve the \u2018American Dream\u2019 out of all developed nations.\u201d Sarah then said, \u201cI once read something that said the American Dream is better when you\u2019re sleeping,\u201d Nathan added, \u201cOtherwise, work or don\u2019t get paid.\u201d Asked for their reaction to Sanders as a speaker, Sarah said, \u201cI\u2019ve heard him before but never in person so seeing him in person was so surreal. We only caught the last 7 minutes [they arrived late] of it but you can feel his passion so deeply just even in those 7 minutes, and if there was another rally, I would travel earlier so I could feel that passion throughout the whole thing.\u201d<\/p>\n \nTax the Rich Rally with Bernie Sanders at Lehman College, Bedford Park, Bronx, Sunday, March 29, 2026. V5 Video by S\u00edle Moloney\n<\/p>\n Norwood News also spoke with former Congressman for New York\u2019s 16th congressional district, Jamaal Bowman, who as reported<\/a>, lost his seat in 2024, and asked him why he believed Sanders came to The Bronx for this particular rally. \u201cSuper good that he came to The Bronx,\u201d Bowman said, adding that he had previously rallied in Brooklyn, Queens and Westchester County in the past.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe Bronx has so much untapped potential and it\u2019s really become a hotbed for organizing,\u201d Bowman said. \u201cWe really want to get the people of The Bronx involved and engaged so to have the rally here is a big deal, to be able to turn out 4,000 people for a rally in The Bronx is huge and we hope it reverberates throughout The Bronx and gets people excited to do what we need to do to win.\u201d<\/p>\n Tax the Rich Rally with Bernie Sanders at Lehman College, Bedford Park, Bronx, Sunday, March 29, 2026. V6 Video by S\u00edle Moloney<\/p>\n Asked for his reaction to the event itself, the former congressman said, \u201cI\u2019m fired up and having a good time because socialism, as an ideal\u2019s time has come. The majority of American people realize the way things have been haven\u2019t worked out for them, and for the majority of us, whether it\u2019s this American dream or American opportunity. People can barely afford to pay their rent, pay their utilities, childcare, schools, all of the above and to have a country where wealth is so concentrated in the hands of a few, the majority of the American people are realizing that that\u2019s bullsh*t and that there\u2019s something we can do about it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n In reference to his congressional seat loss, which based on various reporting at the time was at least in some respects linked to his support for Gaza, and tying in with the DSA movement generally, we asked Bowman if now, years later, he believes Americans across the board have a better understanding of why he was so vocal on Gaza at the time.<\/p>\n Tax the Rich Rally with Bernie Sanders at Lehman College, Bedford Park, Bronx, Sunday, March 29, 2026. V7 Video by S\u00edle Moloney<\/p>\n He said in part, \u201cI think polling shows that. National polling shows that the majority of the American people sympathize with the Palestinians and so that\u2019s a big deal. That\u2019s a big shift from five years ago or ten years ago. What\u2019s happening isn\u2019t right.\u201d He continued, \u201cI think Democratic leadership has to catch up because there\u2019s a huge disconnect. Let\u2019s say you don\u2019t want to say \u2018genocide.\u2019 It\u2019s been deemed an apartheid state so do we want our tax-paying dollars supporting an apartheid state? No.\u201d<\/p>\n He added, \u201cIt\u2019s a military occupation for decades.\u201d He said this could not be ignored and he talked about the documented human rights violations against both adults and children over many years. Asked if he would rule out running for office again, he said, \u201cNo, not ruling that out. That could happen. I could also do ten thousand other things. That\u2019s one of the benefits of America. We got options!!\u201d<\/p>\n Tax the Rich Rally with Bernie Sanders at Lehman College, Bedford Park, Bronx, Sunday, March 29, 2026. V8 Video by S\u00edle Moloney<\/p>\n Norwood News also spoke to Drew Warshaw, candidate for State comptroller, who was also in attendance and who called out incumbent State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli for not commenting publicly on the proposal to Tax the Rich.<\/p>\n \u201cSomehow, the chief financial officer has no opinion on whether or not we should tax the rich,\u201d Warshaw said, referring to DiNapoli. \u201cThe State comptroller has no opinion on whether or not we need more revenue. He says it\u2019s not his job. I think it is precisely his job because he\u2019s supposed to be able to tell us whether we need more [revenue] or we don\u2019t, and we must have more revenue because we have to pay for more housing. We have to pay for more healthcare and as New York State comptroller, I would be very clear and very loud that we need to tax the wealthiest among us. Tom di Napoli can\u2019t even say that and after 19 years, it is time for him to go.\u201d<\/p>\n Former City Comptroller Brad Lander who is currently running for Congress in New York\u2019s 10th congressional district, the seat currently held by the aptly named it would seem Congressman Dan Goldman. Lander alleges Goldman is a quarter billionaire and according to reporting by The New York Times, he is heir to the Levi Strauss & Co. fortune, and has an estimated net worth of approximately $250 million to $253 million. We mentioned to Lander what Warshaw had said about DiNapoli allegedly not saying anything publicly about the proposal to Tax the Rich and asked for his reaction.<\/p>\n Tax the Rich Rally with Bernie Sanders at Lehman College, Bedford Park, Bronx, Sunday, March 29, 2026. V9 Video by S\u00edle Moloney<\/p>\n Lander said, \u201cWell, it\u2019s true that it\u2019s, right now, through the legislature. The assembly and the senate have put forward budget bills that would tax the rich and now, basically, the governor and the leaders of the legislative houses get together and they\u2019re the ones that decide. They have to reach an agreement so the State comptroller doesn\u2019t have a vote or a direct involvement in the negotiations. It\u2019s good for everyone to come out and push for, in the way that Bernie spoke about here, the right way to balance the budget, which is required, while also investing in childcare and healthcare and housing and public education and infrastructure that New Yorkers need.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_9414.jpg\")
<\/a>LOCAL STATE SEN. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33) addresses those gathered for the Tax the Rich rally at Lehman College, Bedford Park on Sunday, March 29, 2026. Also pictured (left to right) are City Council Members Pierina Sanchez\u00a0 (C.D. 14), Althea Stevens (C.D. 16) and Assembly Member George Alvarez (A.D. 78).\u00a0\u00a0
Screenshot by S\u00edle Moloney<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Nathan-Sarah-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a>NATHAN AND SARAH, attend the\u00a0Tax the Rich rally at Lehman College, Bedford Park on Sunday, March 29, 2026.\u00a0
Photo by S\u00edle Moloney<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Brad-Lander--768x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>FORMER CITY COMPTROLLER Brad Lander attends the Tax the Rich rally at Lehman College, Bedford Park on Sunday, March 29, 2026.\u00a0![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Former-Congressman-Jamaal-Bowman--1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a>FORMER CONGRESSMAN JAMAAL Bowman (NY-16) attends the Tax the Rich rally at Lehman College in Bedford Park, The Bronx on Sunday, March 29, 2026.\u00a0