'He's destroying the city': Trump lashes out at Mamdani over his second-home tax plan
Following his Big Apple election victory, Trump and Mamdani have had an up-and-down relationship
Donald Trump, appearing at the White House on April 6, 2026.
President Donald Trump lashed out Thursday at New York City's socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani, over his controversial tax proposal targeting high-value second homes. In a post through his official Truth Social account, he accused the Democratic leader of pushing policies that could harm the city's future. "Sadly, Mayor Mamdani is DESTROYING New York! It has no chance! The United States of America should not contribute to its failure. It will only get WORSE. The TAX, TAX, TAX Policies are SO WRONG. People are fleeing. They must change their ways, AND FAST. History has proven, THIS “STUFF” JUST DOESN’T WORK. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" the Republican leader tweeted.
After his victory in the Big Apple elections, Trump and Mamdani have maintained a relationship of unexpected ups and downs in which, while clear clashes between the two leaders have managed to materialize, they have also starred in moments of cordiality. While on some occasions Mamdani has called Trump a despot, and the president has called him a communist, they have on occasion found some common ground and even had positive and good-natured meetings at the White House.
Mamdani's proposal, which was introduced alongside New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, would tax second homes in the city valued at more than $5 million. Hochul defended the plan by arguing that wealthier homeowners should shoulder more of the burden. "If you can afford a $5 million second home that sits empty most of the year, you can afford to contribute like every other New Yorker," she said in a statement.
Despite this, there has been no shortage of critics of this measure, claiming that the effects would be negative in the long run. Such criticism joins a host of objections to some of the proposals of Mamdani, who throughout his short political career has been characterized as a far-left populist with sympathies for some of the worst regimes in the West, including those in Cuba and Venezuela.
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