The Big Apple is flying Zo-lo.
Billionaire former Mayor Michael Bloomberg subtly shaded his socialist successor, Zohran Mamdani, when snapped by the paparazzi Thursday night.
As Bloomberg, 84, and his longtime partner Diana Taylor arrived at the New York City Ballet’s 2026 Spring gala, the paps fawningly begged him to run again for mayor, shouting, “We need you back.”
“You’re on your own,” Bloomberg shot back with a wry smile, according to a video shared by X account New York Mickey.
Michael Bloomberg and Diana Taylor arrived at the ballet gala tonight when a photographer started begging him to run for mayor again 😭
“We need you back… we’d vote for you”
Bloomberg’s response: “You’re on your own” 👀😂 pic.twitter.com/NEgOSQI0cW
— New York Mickey (@MickmickNYC) May 7, 2026
Bloomberg had backed Andrew Cuomo’s mayoral bid against Mamdani, pouring nearly $10 million into a super PAC backing the former governor’s uninspiring and ultimately doomed campaign.
“Being mayor of New York City is the second-toughest job in America, and the next mayor will face immense challenges,” Bloomberg said before Mamdani defeated Cuomo in November.
The sly dig at Mamdani on Thursday night comes as many of Bloomberg’s fellow billionaires, notably hedge fund titan Ken Griffin, have said the Democratic socialist’s “Tax the rich” stance and refusal to welcome the 1% is driving them from the city.
Griffin said he’s moving more jobs to Miami as a “direct consequence” of Mamdani’s “creepy” social media video that used Griffin’s $238 million Manhattan penthouse as a prop to push for a tax on luxury second homes.
The Citadel hedge fund founder — who also recently purchased a $38 million Park Avenue apartment, the Wall Street Journal first reported — had famously uprooted his business from its longtime Chicago home over his gripes with the city’s leadership.
When asked about the burgeoning billionaire exodus, Mamdani has repeated that he wants all New Yorkers, including Griffin, to succeed.
“That does not negate the fact, however, that our tax system is fundamentally broken,” he said Wednesday.
“It rewards extreme wealth while working people are pushed to the brink. If we want the city to be affordable, we need meaningful tax reform that includes the wealthiest New Yorkers paying their fair share.”
Bloomberg is the 18th-richest person in the world, with a net worth of $109.4 billion, according to Forbes.
