Mamdani grilled on whether his socialism platform will work outside of New York City

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was pressed Thursday about whether his democratic socialism platform would work outside of New York City, in state or nationwide elections.

“After the campaign win, there were questions whether Democrats across the country could have the same success,” “CBS Mornings” co-host Vladimir Duthiers asked Mamdani. “Do you think it is possible a democratic socialist platform can translate to something that’s electorally viable in a statewide or national election given that, according to Gallup, many older and rural voters still have issues with the term, with the label, socialist?”

Mamdani argued that his politics are judged on whether people felt like it included them, and on its delivery, before pointing to universal childcare and his pothole initiative.

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“But, Mr. Mayor, presidential and statewide elections are often decided in battleground regions that do not look like New York City,” Duthiers followed.

“I will be honest with you, before I was the mayor I was an assembly member of Astoria in Long Island City. At that time, I was told you can only be a democratic socialist in northwest queens,” Mamdani said. “Then I became the mayor, now the next question is the state, and then the next question will be, the country.”

“I think that this is a politics that can flourish anywhere because, frankly, there’s only one majority in this country and that’s the working class,” he continued. “And it’s time we have a politics that puts them at the heart of what we’re pursuing and not as part of the appendix.”

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Mamdani was also pressed on his relationship with President Donald Trump, and whether they have spoken about the war in Iran.

He said it was no secret that he deeply opposes the war in Iran, and “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King pressed again on whether the two have spoken about Iran directly.

“We’ve had a conversation about a number of issues and that includes our disagreements on foreign policy,” Mamdani said. “I will keep the frequency and the nature of those conversations private, because that’s the premise of them.”

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Mamdani celebrated a proposal to tax luxury second homes owned by the ultra-wealthy – a plan expected to generate at least $500 million annually – in a post to social media on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled a pied-à-terre tax on luxury second homes in New York City valued at $5 million or more, allowing the city to impose an annual surcharge on ultra-wealthy nonresidents.

The proposal is projected to generate at least $500 million annually, according to Hochul.

Mamdani praised the plan, noting he campaigned on taxing the wealthy.