MAGA commentator Jack Posobiec reportedly clashed sharply with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani during a press Q&A in the Oval Office on Friday, pressing him on past remarks about shifting property tax burdens onto what he referred to during his campaign as “white-based communities.”
President Donald Trump had met with Mamdani prior to the briefing, during which he recognized Posobiec for a question. Posobiec wasted no time confronting the incoming mayor over comments he made on the campaign trail.
“Mr. President,” Posobiec began, “one of the policies Mayor-elect Mamdani talked a number of times about on the campaign was shifting the tax burden for property taxes from what he called minority communities to ‘white-based communities’ and putting more taxes on white people.”
Posobiec then pointedly noted that Mamdani’s acceptance speech “didn’t mention anything about America or Christians or white people in general,” asking whether this omission reflected policy conversations with the president.
Mamdani responded by trying to shift the focus to economic issues. “We focused on affordability. We focused on the cost-of-living crisis,” he said. He then defended his view that New York City’s property tax system is “so inequitable that it can’t even stand up in court,” adding that he and Trump discussed the need for more housing and more practical housing regulations.
Jack Posobiec is basically the only person in this press conference who press Mamdani on any of his nonsense pic.twitter.com/weVyEPguA6
— kevin smith (@kevin_smith45) November 21, 2025
Posobiec, however, pressed harder: “But are you clear you’re continuing this idea of race-based property taxes?”
Mamdani pushed back. “No, to be very clear—” he began before Posobiec cut in, reminding him, “That’s what you said.”
Mamdani insisted his earlier phrasing was misunderstood. “The use of the term was a description of neighborhoods, not a description of intent,” he said.
Posobiec countered immediately: “So, you intend to tax the whiter neighborhoods more?”
The mayor-elect denied that interpretation. “No, we intend to create a fair property tax system because we want a New York City that is not only fair and equitable, but also one that every New Yorker can afford.”
The back-and-forth showcased the deep tension between progressive lawmakers advocating sweeping “equity”-based reforms and critics who view such proposals as thinly veiled attempts to impose race-based policy. Mamdani’s earlier campaign rhetoric explicitly referencing “white-based communities” opened the door for Posobiec’s grilling, and the incoming mayor spent much of the exchange attempting to soften or reinterpret those comments.
For his part, Posobiec’s questioning highlighted concerns many conservatives share about race-driven policymaking, especially in cities already struggling with affordability, crime, and mass outmigration.
While Mamdani emphasized fairness and affordability, he did not directly address why he had previously framed his tax goals in explicitly racial terms — leaving critics unconvinced and setting the stage for political battles ahead as he prepares to take office.
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