“As President of the United States, I will not permit this Communist Lunatic to ruin New York. You can be assured that I possess all the necessary tools and hold all the cards. I will restore New York City to its former glory, making it ‘Hot’ and ‘Great’ again, just as I did with the Good Ol’ USA!” Trump stated on X.
Additionally, Trump warned that he would investigate Mamdani’s legal status and could arrest him if he obstructed Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the city.
Mamdani’s surprising win in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary in June has raised considerable alarm among Republicans, who view the 33-year-old democratic socialist as a significant indicator of a changing political environment.
Mamdani’s ascent from a relatively obscure state assemblyman to the likely Democratic nominee for mayor of the largest city in America has caused concern for many, not just those in the Republican party.
Mamdani is facing criticism for a campaign strategy that explicitly proposes shifting the city’s tax burden onto “richer and whiter neighborhoods.”
A policy document titled “Stop the Squeeze on NYC Homeowners” from Mamdani’s campaign website argues that the existing property tax system in the city disproportionately favors affluent, White homeowners, especially in Manhattan and wealthy areas of Brooklyn, allowing them to pay significantly lower taxes due to outdated assessment caps.
In contrast, Black, Latino, and immigrant homeowners in neighborhoods such as Brownsville and Jamaica in the outer boroughs of Queens are overburdened and more susceptible to foreclosure.
His proposed solution?
“Shift the tax burden from overtaxed homeowners in the outer boroughs to more expensive homes in wealthier and predominantly white neighborhoods,” states the proposal. “The property tax system is skewed because assessment levels are artificially limited, resulting in homeowners in affluent areas paying less than their equitable share.”
This concept aims to reduce the taxable portion of assessed property values across the city while raising real tax rates in prosperous regions. The ultimate effect is lower tax bills for low-income neighborhoods and higher ones for wealthier areas, which the campaign identifies as “richer and whiter.”
The campaign document further highlights racial disparities in deed theft and “tangled titles,” situations where individuals reside in a home they believe they own (typically through inheritance), yet their name is absent from the deed, leading to legal ambiguities regarding ownership.
The report indicates that predominantly Black communities face these challenges at a significantly higher rate than White neighborhoods.
To address this issue, Mamdani proposes a $10 million “Tangled Title Fund” to help city residents hire legal counsel and resolve legal title issues, enabling them to secure full ownership rights and benefits.
Mamdani is affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America, and his introduction outlines the need to “end white supremacy and racial oppression, as its eradication serves the interests of all workers, including white workers.”
In summary, the housing study characterizes the city’s housing inequalities as inherently racist and economically unjust.
The petition also claims that the city’s tax lien auction process is exploitative and discriminatory. When a homeowner falls behind on property taxes under this system, the city frequently sells the debt to a private trust of Wall Street-backed investors at a reduced rate, rather than collecting the debt immediately.
Mamdani asserts that he intends to eliminate the current system on his inaugural day in office and implement a new tax-collection framework that provides “extra opportunities” for homeowners to join payment plans, reduce their debt, and stay in their residences.
The assemblyman from Queens suggests the construction of 200,000 new publicly funded affordable housing units and an immediate freeze on rents for the city’s 2.4 million stable tenants.
His proposals encompass multi-year rent regulations and significant investment in public housing. Detractors argue that his plans could worsen the existing challenges in the rental market.
