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New York City Democratic Mayor Zohran Mamdani is embracing his identity as a Democratic Socialist, arguing the movement represents a return to the Democratic Party’s New Deal roots even as he insists Wall Street and corporate leaders have nothing to fear from his administration.
In a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times, Mamdani rejected the notion that his political label is a liability, instead characterizing Democratic Socialism as the modern embodiment of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s vision for the Democratic Party.
“So much of what makes me proud to be a Democrat is looking at what our party used to stand for. You think about the Four Freedoms, you think FDR, you think the New Deal,” Mamdani said. “Those are at the core of what our party’s identity is, and yet it feels like to experience it, you have to read about it. You can’t see it around you anymore. And that isn’t something that I’m willing to accept, and I know that many feel similarly.”
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The remarks come as Mamdani has emerged as one of the Democratic Party’s most prominent progressive voices following a string of successful endorsements of fellow Democratic Socialist candidates, who won their primary House races.
Even as he doubled down on Democratic Socialism, Mamdani insisted his administration welcomed private investment and collaboration with Wall Street, finance and real estate leaders, despite continuing to push for higher taxes on the city’s wealthiest residents.
“I think it’s important,” Mamdani said of the city’s relationship with private business leaders. “And what I have in common with leaders of those sectors — even amid disagreements, because I believe that we can raise taxes a little bit more on the wealthiest New Yorkers — what brings us together is both a belief in the city and a commitment to its continued vitality.”
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Mamdani pointed to the recent announcement of American Express’ new headquarters at Two World Trade Center as evidence that major corporations continue investing in New York.
“These business leaders, they’re not just making decisions on the basis of dollars and cents; they’re also making decisions on the basis of investing in the city and in what the city represents,” he said.
The mayor also rejected the idea that Democratic Socialism is incompatible with economic growth after the interviewer remarked that he sounded in line with a “capitalist mayor.”
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“I will always celebrate continued investment in this city,” Mamdani said. “And I’ll also look to ensure that more and more New Yorkers can be a part of those benefits.”
But even as Mamdani boasts his support for corporate investments, an analysis by the Citizens Budget Commission found New York’s share of the nation’s millionaires fell from 12.7% in 2010 to 8.7% in 2022, the steepest decline of any state, costing an estimated $10.7 billion in personal income tax revenue in 2022 alone.
The report points to New York’s high taxes and declining competitiveness relative to states like Florida and Texas as factors behind its shrinking share of the nation’s millionaires.
Mamdani has made raising taxes on wealthy New Yorkers a centerpiece of his economic agenda, arguing the city’s highest earners and most profitable corporations should shoulder more of the cost of funding public services.
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His interview comes as national Democrats debate the party’s future direction ahead of the 2028 presidential election. Mamdani argued that the victories of democratic socialist candidates signal that voters are embracing his vision for the party.
“For too long, it has felt like our party, the Democratic Party, the only answer we have is to say that we are not the Republican Party,” Mamdani said. “But we also have to have a vision of what comes after this administration.”
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