New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) said he has not thought about the current presidential field when asked if he wanted former Vice President Kamala Harris to run again, adding that his focus is on 2026 and that he will never run for president himself.
During an exchange with host Kristen Welker on NBC’s Meet the Press, Welker asked, “Would you like to see former Vice President Kamala Harris run for president again?”
Mamdani responded, “I have to be honest, I haven’t thought about the candidacies for president this time. My focus is 2026 — ”
Welker then replied, “You’re the only Democrat who hasn’t thought about that.”
Mamdani answered, “And I’m proud to say that I am not, and will never be, running for president.”
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Mamdani made the remarks days after he suggested, during an appearance on CBS Mornings, that his brand of democratic socialist politics could eventually expand beyond New York City.
On that program, Mamdani stated:
I’ll be honest with you, before I was the Mayor, I was an Assemblymember of Astoria and Long Island City. At that time, I was told that you could only be a Democratic socialist in Northwest Queens. Then I became the Mayor. Now the next question is the state. Then it’ll be — the next question will be the country.
He added that democratic socialism “is a politics that can flourish anywhere” because “there is only one majority in this country, that’s the working class.”
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On Tax Day, Mamdani announced what he described as the first pied-à-terre tax in New York history, an annual fee on luxury properties worth more than $5 million whose owners do not live in the city full time, such as the $238 million penthouse purchased by hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin. Mamdani said the tax was aimed at wealthy property owners who store their wealth in New York City real estate but do not live in the city full time. He said the measure would raise at least $500 million directly for the city to fund programs including free child care, cleaner streets, and safer neighborhoods.
Mamdani has also proposed opening a city-run grocery store in East Harlem. Mamdani said the 9,000-square-foot store would open in 2029 and cost $30 million to build. He said the store would offer an essential basket of goods at lower prices than are currently available. Mamdani has also set aside an additional $40 million to fund one city-run grocery store in each of the city’s four remaining boroughs.
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