New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani appeared to grin gleefully on Friday as New York Gov. Kathy Hochul teased the prospect of new taxes.
Mamdani and Hochul were speaking together at a joint news briefing when a reporter asked them about the prospect of raising taxes on the “wealthy.”
Pointing to her “record over the last five years,” which included repeated tax increases, Hochul replied by saying that “when we have a severe need to do something extraordinary, I am willing to do what has to happen.”
“I had to increase the Payroll Mobility Tax to make sure that we would keep the lifeline of New York City functioning, and that is the subway system,” she added, proudly touting one of the many tax hikes seen during her tenure.
“I did that for the MTA. Again, I couldn’t let New York City have its bond rating downgraded, causing chaos,” she continued. “I needed to help the mayor get out of a problem he didn’t create.”
“So I think you’ll see a very thoughtful approach to this,” she concluded. “It is not ideological. It is pragmatic, and what we need to do to deliver for the people who put us in office.”
As she spoke, Mamdani appeared to grin gleefully.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, who campaigned on no new taxes, tells reporters that she is open to new taxes “if there is a need.”
She also said a key area is universal childcare and a “path forward” will be announced at the State of the State.
She did not comment to cutting spending. https://t.co/tAFRRZo11Y
— Craig McCarthy (@createcraig) November 6, 2026
According to a full transcript of her remarks, earlier in the presser she also spoke about using new taxes to fund “childcare.”
“I want to make sure that we have a path forward that is sustainable. We fully fund childcare, and this is how we work to provide for generations to come,” she declared.
According to a statement recently made to New York Focus by a representative for Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who ran as the Republican gubernatorial nominee in the midterms, Hochul has “hiked taxes by $8 billion” since she assumed office in August 2021.
“It’s no surprise Kathy Hochul would rather talk about New York’s outdated campaign finance system instead of explaining why she hiked taxes by $8 billion, raised utility rates 48 times, and put criminals first,” the representative said.
Blakeman slammed Hochul on social media late last month for refusing to say outright whether she intended to raise taxes.
Kathy Hochul was asked a simple question: Will she raise taxes?
She couldn’t give a YES or NO. Go Figure!
We all know her record…$8 billion in tax hikes, 48 utility rate hikes, and 21 toll/fare hikes. https://t.co/SML1VdrXJh
— Bruce Blakeman (@NassauExec) October 30, 2026
During Friday’s news briefing, Mamdani also offered his take on new taxes.
“I’ve always been clear about where I stand,” he said, referencing his documented desire for higher taxes. “I continue to hold those positions.”
“And I’m also looking forward to continuing a productive working relationship with our governor to deliver for working people,” he added.
The remarks from Hochul and Mamdani spurred backlash on social media.
Trending: SMOKING GUN: New Report Reveals Algorithmic Pattern on How Dems “Stole” the 2026 Election — Eerily Similar to the Impossible 2020 “Drop and Roll” Pattern Witnessed Across the US
“And these two could run again tomorrow… Even after saying that they lied about not raising taxes… And they’d win going away because enough people simply don’t care enough to do anything about it,” Fox News contributor Joe Concha wrote in a social media post.
During her 2026 reelection campaign, Hochul heavily downplayed the possibility of raising taxes again and explicitly stated she would not do so.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. All I know is my position is I don’t want — I will not raise taxes. I’m very clear on that,” she told WNBC exactly one week before Election Day.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
Ad block users: Some site features may not work correctly while an ad blocker is enabled, because they break scripts and content this website depends on. If you can’t see comments below, for example, please disable your ad blocker.
