Overview
- Morning Joe co-host Willie Geist pressed Zohran Mamdani on how he would pay for proposals including a $30 minimum wage, city-run groceries and free buses, as well as the impact on small businesses.
- Mamdani said a higher minimum wage would be phased in for smaller firms and argued many residents already need roughly $30 an hour to afford living in New York City.
- The campaign’s grocery proposal centers on a five-store pilot—one per borough—costing about $60 million, with financing tied to redirecting roughly $140 million in existing grocery tax breaks and exempting the stores from rent and property taxes.
- Economist Anne Rathbone Bradley criticized the city-run grocery plan as unsustainable, citing prior municipal efforts in Kansas City and parts of Florida that struggled with empty shelves, theft and closures.
- Policy analyses highlighted large potential price tags for other pledges, including $600 million to $800 million annually for fare-free buses and an estimated $6 billion per year for universal child care, alongside a proposed corporate tax increase to help fund the agenda.