New York’s Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani pledged to “work with everyone” while speaking to Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press” Sunday, but also affirmed, “I don’t think that we should have billionaires” when asked about his underlying political beliefs.
“You are a self-described democratic socialist. Do you think that billionaires have a right to exist?” Welker asked Mamdani.
“I don’t think that we should have billionaires, because, frankly, it is so much money in a moment of such inequality, and ultimately, what we need more of is equality across our city and across our state and across our country,” he explained. “And I look forward to work with everyone, including billionaires, to make a city that is fairer for all of them.”
Welker also asked Mamdani to respond to Donald Trump’s claim he is a “communist.”
“No, I am not,” he responded. “And I have already had to start to get used to the fact that the president will talk about how I look, how I sound, where I’m from, who I am, ultimately because he wants to distract from what I’m fighting for.”
“And I’m fighting for the very working people that he ran a campaign to empower, that he has since then betrayed. And when we talk about my politics, I call myself a Democrat socialist in many ways inspired by the words of Dr. King from decades ago who said, ‘Call it democracy or call it democratic socialism. There has to be a better distribution of wealth for all of God’s children in this country.’”
“And as income inequality has declined nationwide, it has increased in New York City. And ultimately, what we need, is a city where every single person can thrive,” he concluded.
Watch the interview with Zohran Mamdani in the video above.
