New York City is implementing a new tax on its wealthiest residents, with Mayor Zohran Mamdani directly singling out hedge-fund manager Ken Griffin in a campaign advertisement.
“This is an annual fee on luxury properties worth more than $5 million, whose owners do not live full-time in the city,” Mamdani stated during the video filmed outside Griffin’s penthouse.
“Most of these units are sitting empty,” he added, calling it a “fundamentally unfair” system and suggesting it would collect up to $500 million for municipal finances.
Ezra Levant recently analyzed how this tax initiative falls short of covering the socialist promises made by Mamdani during his campaign, including abolishing transit fees or establishing government-run grocery stores.
“You’ll notice he’s not going after Republicans,” Levant said. “He’s not targeting the former mayor or governor. He just decided to pick on someone wealthy and run an ad right outside their building.”
Levant further noted that the tax and advertising strategy are not intended to fund specific projects but instead function as a form of “punishment, demonization and jealousy” to appeal to young people disillusioned with capitalism.
Mamdani’s focus on Griffin is part of a growing trend among radical left-wing politicians and commentators, Levant said, linking it to the cult-like support for accused killer Luigi Mangione.
“That kind of violence is no longer forbidden in social circles,” Levant remarked, citing popular support for Mangione or those who celebrated the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and assassination attempts against Donald Trump.
