Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has threatened to impose “a 100% tariff” on New Yorkers who want to flee to the Lone Star State if Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani wins the mayoral election.
In a post on X, Abbott said Monday: “After the polls close tomorrow night, I will impose a 100% tariff on anyone moving to Texas from NYC.”
It’s unclear how Abbott would impose the tariff, as it falls within the federal government’s authority in the Constitution.
Mamdani has said that he wants to make New York City more affordable, and his plan includes raising taxes on the city’s millionaires. He has also proposed a sweeping housing reform policy, including freezing rents on some apartments.
The mayoral candidate’s critics said it would cause millionaires to flee the city—and it would be a blow to the Big Apple’s economy.
No presidential support
President Donald Trump has endorsed former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who’s running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani.
He threatened to scale back federal funding for the city, declaring on Truth Social: “If Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the Election for Mayor of New York City, it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home, because of the fact that, as a Communist, this once great City has ZERO chance of success, or even survival!”
He added that Mamdani has “no experience and a Record of COMPLETE AND TOTAL FAILURE. He was nothing as an Assemblyman, ranked at the bottom of the class and, as Mayor of potentially, again, the Greatest City in the World, HE HAS NO CHANCE to bring it back to its former Glory!
He also shunned Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa—saying a vote for Sliwa “is a vote for Mamdani.”
“Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job,” Trump wrote.
Leaving New York
The election has sparked a fire under some New Yorkers looking to get out of Gotham. Real estate agents in the tristate area have seen a spike in inquiries from affluent New Yorkers who are considering alternative places to live.
“Yes, the election is definitely playing a big role in buyers’ motivation to relocate,” Taylor Lucyk, broker and founder of the Taylor Lucyk Group in Bergen County, NJ, tells Realtor.com®.
Agents say some people are citing fears of higher taxes or a shift in housing policies, while others are worried about their safety and a rise in crime.
Fox News host Sean Hannity claimed there will be a “mass exodus” from New York if Mamdani wins.
Donald Trump Jr. said on “Fox & Friends” that New York will “go down in flames” if Mamdani is elected.
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