New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has frequently used his speeches to target some of socialism and communism’s most outspoken opponents, including former President Ronald Reagan and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Just months ago, during a press conference, Mamdani invoked one of Thatcher’s most well-known lines: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.”
However, he argued that, "If anything, my friends, it seems that you eventually need a socialist to clean up the mess. On January 1st, I told New Yorkers that City Hall would hold a singular purpose, to make this city belong to more of its people than it did the day before. For 102 days, we have endeavored to do exactly that."
Mamdani: "Of the Margret Thatcher quote, the problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money. If anything my friends, it seems you eventually need a socialist to clean up the mess." pic.twitter.com/TQgaPIyQpZ
— Winter (@LeftyWinter) May 24, 2026
His viral jab at the time is now coming back to haunt him, as the only way his socialist administration appears capable of staying afloat is by relying on other people’s money. That strategy is quickly wearing thin, especially after the state handed Mamdani billions in taxpayer funds to help address New York City’s growing budget crisis.
Mamdani just got a multi-billion dollar bailout from New York State taxpayers to salvage New York City’s socialist mess.
— Kevin Roberts (@KevinRobertsTX) May 25, 2026
Lady Thatcher’s quote is undefeated. https://t.co/8jnPBtXL5Z pic.twitter.com/VTxShmJQmO
"He got bailed out by Governor Hochul," Daniel Di Martino, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute and economist, wrote on X. "Don't worry, wait until he runs out of the bailout money next year, he will go begging for more."
"Unfortunately (or fortunately?), America has a lot of resources, so like Venezuela, the fall takes longer and the amount robbed greater," he added.
He got bailed out by Governor Hochul. Don't worry wait until he runs out of the bailout money next year, he will go begging for more.
— Daniel Di Martino (@DanielDiMartino) May 25, 2026
Unfortunately (or fortunately?), America has a lot of resources, so like Venezuela, the fall takes longer and the amount robbed greater. https://t.co/KcHPJANWqU
Mayor Mamdani has struggled to address a massive hole in the city’s budget, much of which stems from poor record-keeping under the previous mayoral administration, as well as the wave of government programs he plans to implement. His solutions, however, have largely amounted to taxing the rich and pleading with Governor Kathy Hochul for a bailout, effectively turning Mamdani’s socialist experiment into a problem for the entire state.
This comes just weeks after Mamdani took aim at Reagan’s famous line that the nine most terrifying words in the English language are, “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” According to Mamdani, the more terrifying words are actually, “I worked all day and still can’t feed my family.” What he failed to acknowledge, however, is that people often struggle to provide for their families because of politicians like Mamdani, who believe just one more government program will be the solution to their problems.
It’s a line of thinking that can be traced back to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and one that, if it truly worked, would have turned the United States into a utopia by this point.