Zohran Mamdani won the New York City Mayoral election by promising a bunch of freebies in a socialist utopia.

A sanctuary city, who will stand up to ICE, A city with government-run grocery stores. A city with free busses. A city with a $30 dollar minimum wage. Tackling the affordability crisis. How? By taxing the rich business owners in New York into oblivion. Some have already moved to Florida...

But the first Muslim mayor of New York has dreams, man. He may have to organize another one of his campy scavenger hunts around the city for participants to pick up pennies they found on the city streets as he pledges over $10 billion in new spending for his agenda. The problem? A $2.18 billion budget shortfall-with more to come, according to a report from outgoing comptroller, Brad Lander.

From the looks of this, the mayor-elect’s choice for Congress gave a report card on what he has to deal with and there’s no good news.

On Day One, Mayor Mamdani will be confronted with nothing but fiscal problems to deal with before even trying to get additional funds.”-democratic strategist Bill Cunningham

According to the report:

The Comptroller’s Office projects a $2.18 billion budget gap for FY 2026 (1.8 percent of total revenues). This is unusual, as at this time in the fiscal year the projection typically calls for a modest surplus that can be used to prepay the following year’s expenses. Budget gaps in future years could reach $10.41 billion in FY 2027 (8.8 percent of total revenues), $13.24 billion in FY 2028 (10.9 percent of total revenues) and $12.36 billion (9.9 percent of total revenues) in FY 2029.”

But, somehow, as authored by Mr. Lander, this is all Trump‘s fault?

Over the past 11 months the Trump Administration has launched a relentless assault on the U.S. and New York City institutions and economies—including unpredictable shifts in trade policy, restrictive and cruel immigration enforcement, deep cuts to health care and social assistance programs, and unilateral attempts to revoke Federal aid. The New York City economy has not escaped unscathed.”

The report also notes that over the last three years, expenses have outpaced city revenues, in part due to a surge in asylum seekers across the Big Apple.

Restrictive and cruel immigration enforcement wasn’t happening over the past few years. In fact, New York City was housing illegals in midtown hotels. They were welcomed off the bus with taxpayer money. This was not Trump. This was Eric Adams, who eventually came to his senses, if not but too late.

Lander, who wanted to be Mayor of NYC once upon a time until Mamndani crushed him, is now running for Congress, is quite the big spender:

The city comptroller had spent nearly $1 million more than any other candidate in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor, as of the latest data through May 19, yet he’s still polling a distant third. And with a mandatory spending cap of roughly $8 million and just two weeks until the election, Lander finds himself at a significant disadvantage to opponents with more money for voter outreach in the final stretch of the race.”-Joe Anita, Politico

This is the comptroller who, again, says it’s all Trump’s fault New York City is the dumpster fire that it is today.

Admittedly, this is all going to be fun to watch. Especially when the crazy cat ladies who went on the scavenger hunt on their Citi Bikes one New York summer’s day realize their barista paychecks aren’t going to go too far:

Elect a Socialist for Mayor, they said. Perhaps these smarty-pants who voted for him can host another Zohran craft night to raise some funds. You know? Call in sick for their $30/hour barista jobs and lament over Mamdani’s vision of how wonderful it would be to live in the Socialist utopia of “taxing the rich” and spending other people’s money. Instead of making Mamdani friendship bracelets or crochet circle, they can forego these cutesy activities, learn the dying art of the printing press and print some fake money to bail the city out of the dismal financial situation it is currently in. That is how it works, right? Need more money for social programs? Just print it! No harm, no foul. AOC, the bartender-turned-Economics major-turned Congresswoman will show you how.

And if this doesn’t work, Mamdani can revive his alter ego, Mr. Cardammom and moonlight as a rapper at a New York hotspot. I can see it now as Zohran takes the mic: “I like you so much, I want to buy a cow”.

Yo, no one would even be able to afford a cow. They wouldn’t be able to afford the cover change and a stiff drink to sit through that.

Or, he can offer up personal training sessions and nutrition advice for guys who want to get yoked (snicker). Judging from these two past (failed) endeavors and Mamdani’s track record, I seriously doubt he is going to pull New York City out of the mess it’s in. The guy has never held a big boy job, nor had to probably construct and manage his own personal budget. Now, we want him to understand a budget for the Biggest of Apples?

I would say this flat-out ignorance on Mamdani’s behalf would typically be indicative of a product of the public school system, but Zohran had all of the privilege of being the son of an academic and born into an affluent family who could afford private schools. At $2.18 billion, and “improvements” proposed at roughly, as we said before, $10 billion a year, the guy clearly just can’t math.

Featured image: original Victory Girls art by Darleen Click