NYC Mayor-elect Mamdani slammed after raising $1 million for transition: 'Affordability is expensive' | Hindustan Times

NYC Mayor-elect Mamdani slammed after raising $1 million for transition: 'Affordability is expensive'

Published on: Nov 17, 2025 05:45 AM IST

New York City mayor-elect announced that his campaign had managed to raise $100,000 for his transition team, drawing backlash from many online.  

New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani was slammed online after he announced that his campaign had raised a million dollars in donation for the transition team. Taking to X, Mamdani wrote, “We just raised $1 million dollars for our transition to City Hall. The groundwork to make this city a fairer and more affordable place is happening because of you.”

Zohran Mamdani beat former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and the Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa to win the mayoral race.(Getty Images via AFP)
Zohran Mamdani beat former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and the Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa to win the mayoral race.(Getty Images via AFP)

Many decided to slam the Democrat over this announcement.

Reactions to Zohran Mamdani's announcement

Mamdani's announcement was met with negativity from many online. One person on X, tagged FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino and wrote “Please look into these “Donations” and what is happening with them.”

Another quipped, “But I thought everything is going to be free?.” Yet another person remarked, “Affordability is expensive!”.

Also Read | No free bus in NYC? Governor Kathy Hochul junks Mamdani's mayoral poll promise; ‘can’t set forth a plan right now'

Many doubted that the donations would go to the right place. “ZoBro does the impossible! He created the city’s newest millionaire in a week: his transition fund! BTW, who needs a million bucks for a transition? Who, what and why are they paying off? Can’t wait for @ZohranKMamdani to publish the list of contributors! I am sure he will be fully transparent. Spoiler alert: I am not on the list,” an individual wrote.

Notably, this was fact checked by Politico reporter Jeff Coltin. Mamdani has to publicly report the transition's contributions and expenditures to the NYCCFB, just like a campaign. The first filing is due on December 5.

Mamdani beat former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and the Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa to win the mayoral race. However, he had been slammed by many for seeking donations for the transition team immediately the day after winning the contest. One of Mamdani's poll planks – the offer of free buses in NYC – has also met resistance from fellow Democrat and New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who said that she doesn't see this happening at the moment.

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Stay updated with US News covering politics, crime, weather, local events, and sports highlights. Get the latest on Donald Trump and American politics also realtime updates on Indonesia ferry fire.
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