Here’s some unvarnished truth about socialism: The only “free” part of socialism is the promises.
And to be sure, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani made quite a few promises during his winning campaign: rent freezes, free buses, cheaper groceries, and free universal child care.
The problem is that everything after those promises comes with a bill the size of the speech that sold it.
The ruse of a “free” New York City was almost dispelled the instant Mamdani won the election.
Less than a day after winning, Mamdani had already taken to social media to ask his followers for more donations, claiming that the transition efforts needed extensive funding.
Since then, Mamdani has been gallivanting across the globe, enjoying his newfound celebrity status.
Now? Mamdani’s back to begging for more money — because nothing is ever truly “free.”
We need your help! But let me explain why: pic.twitter.com/RO9d4GTgpm
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) November 18, 2025
Will Mamdani actually enact the key points of his socialist agenda?
“It’s been two weeks since we won the election,” Mamdani began in his Tuesday X post. “And we’ve been pretty busy.”
The video then cut to the aforementioned gallivanting.
“A lot of these things are new,” Mamdani continued. “But one of them is pretty old: fundraising.”
Mamdani then explained that he’s fundraising because there are fewer than 50 days until he assumes office, and he needs this money to help both pay for current costs (like paying staffers) and to prep for future policy implementation.
“It’s up to us to raise the money,” Mamdani said. And “us” apparently means “you.”
In an ironic twist, Mamdani then calls out his supporters for not donating as much as Eric Adams’ supporters did during his transition efforts. The average Mamdani supporter contributed a little over $77, while the average Adams supporter contributed over $1,000.
Given that the affordability crisis was a huge talking point of Mamdani’s campaign, it’s unclear what else he could’ve possibly expected.
“But we’re still asking for your help,” Mamdani said. “Because we need to raise $4 million in total, so Jan. 1 can be the day we start to deliver, not to prepare,” he added. “I hope very soon not to have to ask you for money, but until then: I’m asking.”
Of course he’s asking, because Mamdani’s has effectively pulled a switcheroo on his voters: “You’ll get your free stuff, but first you need to give me money.”
That’s socialism in a nutshell. And make no mistake, socialism doesn’t work.
Simply put, there’s no such thing as “free” stuff. Someone, somewhere, will always have to pay for it.
For now, Mamdani appears content to simply bilk his own supporters for those payments. Once that’s not enough — and given that each donor, on average, is contributing less than $80 to Mamdani, it won’t be — who do you think faces the brunt of this next?
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