Zohran Mamdani defends socialist policies such as free buses, universal childcare

New York City mayoral candidate Zahran Mamdani is sticking by his proposal to raise taxes on the city’s wealthiest residents and businesses to fund free buses and universal child care.

Under Mamdani’s plan, the personal income tax rate on the city’s richest 1% would rise by 2 percentage points, while the corporate tax rate would rise to match New Jersey’s 11.5% rate, he told Martha MacCallum Wednesday on Fox News’ “The Story.”

“I’ve said repeatedly that I believe these are the most direct ways we can fund universal child care, make buses fast and free, and I’ve said the two obvious ways to do it: increase personal income taxes on the top 1% by 2% and increase the corporate tax to match New Jersey’s corporate tax of 11.5%,” Mamdani said. “Now, if there are other ways to raise this money to fund this agenda, the most important thing is that we fund this agenda.”

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He said he was “grateful” to have New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s support, as well as the fact that it highlighted their shared commitment to comprehensive child care for New Yorkers.

“Well, what Andrew Cuomo said is that if he had $959 million, he would give it to Elon Musk in tax breaks because that’s exactly what he did,” Mamdani said in response to a question about how he would pay for his proposed programs if Governor Hochul refused to raise taxes. “And I ask you this to say that the question is often whether you have the desire to spend this money on behalf of the working class, not where the money is in the first place.”

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The sun rises behind the Empire State Building as seen from the EdgeNYC observation deck at Hudson Yards on November 8, 2024, in New York City. (Gary Hirschhorn/Getty Images/Getty Images)

When asked what he would cut to fund his programs, Mamdani said he did not believe any cuts were needed.

“I don’t think we should cut taxes,” he said. “I’ve talked about raising taxes on the rich. And frankly, that’s a problem we have here in New York City, and frankly, even across this country. When I talked to Trump voters here in New York City — Hillside Avenue in Queens, Fordham Road in the Bronx — they told me it was the cost of living that made them vote for Donald Trump.”

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Policymakers continue to prioritize billionaires and big corporations at the expense of New Yorkers “who can’t even make ends meet,” Mamdani said.

New York Mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo visits “The Claman Countdown” at Fox Business Network Studios on October 06, 2025 in New York City. (John Lambarski/Getty Images/Getty Images)

In response to concerns that free bus service could lead to lower quality, Mamdani pointed to the city’s pilot program.

“I would say they should actually look at the report on the five free buses that we delivered throughout New York City,” he said. “We have not seen an increase in homelessness. We have seen an increase in the number of New Yorkers riding the bus. We have seen assaults on bus drivers decrease by 38.9%, and we have also seen a decrease in the number of New Yorkers who were having to take a taxi or take their own vehicle.”

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“That’s why we care so deeply about this, given the fact that it could actually provide economic safety, public safety, and even congestion relief for New Yorkers looking to ride these buses,” he added.