This spring, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani released a viral video in which he announced his latest “tax the rich” scheme, specifically targeting billionaire Ken Griffin as a poster child for the policy.“This is an annual fee on luxury properties worth more than $5 million whose owners do not live full-time in the city,” he declared. Gesturing to the building behind him, Mamdani continued, “Like this penthouse, which hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin bought for $238 million.”Griffin, who has invested a fortune in the Big Apple and created many jobs in the city, fired back against what he called a “personal attack” that exhibited the mayor’s “profound lack of judgment.” Griffin was also said to be considering yanking a $6 billion development project from the city, having already prominently exited Illinois over relentlessly bad public policy justified by political grandstanding and scapegoating.
Other critics said it was reckless and foolish for Mamdani to call out a wealthy job creator like Griffin by name outside his residence, which he purchased legitimately and on which he already pays a king’s ransom in taxes. Casting Griffin and others as villains may be unfair and stupid, but it is very much on brand for Mamdani’s toxic strain of politics.New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks at a food distribution center on July 27, 2026 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
