New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani appeared to grin gleefully on Friday as New York Gov. Kathy Hochul teased the prospect of new taxes.
Mamdani and Hochul were speaking together at a joint news briefing when a reporter asked them about the prospect of raising taxes on the “wealthy.”
Pointing to her “record over the last five years,” which included repeated tax increases, Hochul replied by saying that “when we have a severe need to do something extraordinary, I am willing to do what has to happen.”
“I had to increase the Payroll Mobility Tax to make sure that we would keep the lifeline of New York City functioning, and that is the subway system,” she added, proudly touting one of the many tax hikes seen during her tenure.
“I did that for the MTA. Again, I couldn’t let New York City have its bond rating downgraded, causing chaos,” she continued. “I needed to help the mayor get out of a problem he didn’t create.”
“So I think you’ll see a very thoughtful approach to this,” she concluded. “It is not ideological. It is pragmatic, and what we need to do to deliver for the people who put us in office.”
As she spoke, Mamdani appeared to grin gleefully.
