New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is signaling confidence in his administration's ability to deliver on its affordability agenda, backed by a strong endorsement from his incoming first deputy mayor, Dean Fuleihan.
Fuleihan Backs Mamdani's Bold Affordability Agenda
On Wednesday, in an interview with The Nation, Fuleihan expressed unwavering belief that Mamdani's ambitious affordability goals can be achieved, calling it "an unqualified yes."
He emphasized that addressing the city's rising cost of living must remain a top priority.
"It would be a shame if we were at a point where addressing the serious concerns of New Yorkers was not given the highest priority," Fuleihan said.
"Affordability is a crisis, and he's [determined] to address it." He added that Mamdani's campaign was built on "an ambitious agenda, an aggressive agenda," but one that he fully expects to deliver on.
Mamdani Shares Message Of Confidence On Social Media
Mamdani shared the interview excerpt on X, quoting Fuleihan's confident statement: "My simple answer is ‘yes.' And I actually have a hard time understanding why people think that's so complicated."
The post underscored the administration's message that its affordability platform, focused on housing, transportation, and basic costs, remains central to its mission.
Ackman, Hochul And Thiel Respond To Mamdani's Progressive Agenda
Mamdani's election as New York City's mayor, political leaders and billionaires weighed in on his ambitious affordability and social policy goals.
Billionaire investor Bill Ackman congratulated Mamdani on X, offering his support despite policy differences.
"If I can help NYC, just let me know what I can do," he wrote.
In a follow-up post, Ackman clarified that while he did not back Mamdani's campaign and still had "concerns about the unintended and negative consequences" of his policies.
He respected the election's outcome and wanted to help New York succeed.
The former U.S. presidential candidate and entrepreneur Andrew Yang added that winning the race "might have been easier than what lies ahead."
New York Governor Kathy Hochul voiced skepticism about Mamdani's proposal to make city buses free, warning it could cost over $800 million a year.
Instead, she supported targeted fare subsidies for low-income riders and reaffirmed her own $15 billion childcare plan, a more gradual rollout than Mamdani's universal free childcare pledge.
Meanwhile, Peter Thiel renewed his warning that economic frustration among young Americans is fueling socialist sentiment.
A resurfaced 2020 email from Thiel to Mark Zuckerberg and Marc Andreessen went viral after Mamdani's win, in which he wrote: "When 70% of Millennials say they are pro-socialist, we need to do better than simply dismiss them."
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
