Texas Governor Greg Abbott vowed Monday to impose a steep 100 percent tariff on any New Yorker attempting to relocate to Texas if socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the New York City mayoral race.
The announcement, made on social media, came as President Donald Trump simultaneously threw his weight behind former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in a surprising endorsement aimed at blocking Mamdani’s rise.
Abbott, anticipating what he described as a potential mass exodus from New York following a Mamdani victory, took to X to issue his warning.
“After the polls close tomorrow night, I will impose a 100% tariff on anyone moving to Texas from NYC,” he wrote.
After the polls close tomorrow night, I will impose a 100% tariff on anyone moving to Texas from NYC.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) November 3, 2025
While several states have what’s known as an “exit tax” for residents leaving, Abbott’s proposed “moving tax” would mark an unprecedented approach, targeting those fleeing a city.
At the same time, President Trump’s endorsement of Andrew Cuomo shocked political insiders.
In a Truth Social post, the president urged New Yorkers to unite behind Cuomo despite their differences, calling him the only candidate capable of preventing Mamdani’s brand of far-left politics from taking over the city.
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) November 3, 2025
“Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice,” Trump wrote. “You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!”
The president made clear that his endorsement was strategic, not sentimental.
He warned that if Mamdani were to take office, federal funds to New York City would be drastically reduced.
“If Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the Election for Mayor of New York City, it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home,” Trump wrote.
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“As a Communist, this once great City has ZERO chance of success, or even survival!”
Mamdani currently leads in several polls, while Cuomo’s chances hinge on Republican Curtis Sliwa withdrawing and consolidating his support base.
Trump has cautioned that Mamdani’s economic and social proposals would devastate New York.
“His principles have been tested for over a thousand years, and never once have they been successful,” Trump wrote, adding that he would “much rather see a Democrat with a record of success win than a Communist with no experience and a record of total failure.”
During his Sunday appearance on “60 Minutes,” Trump doubled down on his stance, describing Cuomo as “the lesser of two evils.”
“It’s going to be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York,” he added.
“Because if you have a communist running New York, all you’re doing is wasting the money you’re sending there.”
Trump noted that while he wasn’t a fan of Cuomo, he preferred a flawed Democrat to what he called a “hardline socialist.”
“If it’s going to be between a bad Democrat and a communist, I’m going to pick the bad Democrat all the time,” he said.
Mamdani fired back at Trump’s endorsement on social media, mocking Cuomo and posting an image featuring the two political figures side by side under the caption “TRUMP endorses CUOMO.”
The post read, “Congratulations, @AndrewCuomo. I know how hard you worked for this.”
Cuomo’s spokesperson, Rich Azzopardi, hit back, accusing Mamdani of spreading falsehoods to mislead voters.
Congratulations, @AndrewCuomo. I know how hard you worked for this. https://t.co/qePAGqDk0K pic.twitter.com/6CKqyZE6ne
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) November 3, 2025
“Mamdani is lying and gaslighting his way through this election,” Azzopardi said, adding that only Cuomo had “a record of standing up to Trump when he tried to hurt New York and winning.”
Mamdani, an immigrant from Uganda who currently serves as a state legislator, has campaigned heavily on protecting illegal immigrants in New York City and expanding sanctuary city policies.
During a press conference this week, he promised to block any federal immigration enforcement efforts within city limits, including cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“I will not be the mayor that we have today who went on national television and opened the door to civil immigration enforcement,” Mamdani said.
“I will be the mayor that stands up for our sanctuary city policies, that stands up for every New Yorker’s right to live in this city, and the mayor who will hold everyone accountable to the law, no matter who they are.”
He also criticized current Mayor Eric Adams for what he described as capitulation to federal immigration authorities.
Mamdani’s campaign promises include freezing rent, creating a new agency to respond to non-violent 911 calls, raising the minimum wage to $30 an hour, and even launching city-run grocery stores.
These proposals have drawn sharp criticism not only from Republicans but also from within his own party.
Virginia gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger, a fellow Democrat, recently accused Mamdani of deceiving voters about what he could realistically achieve.
In an interview with CNN, she argued that many of his plans would be impossible to implement and that his rhetoric risked disillusioning struggling voters.
“People do want us to be aspirational and dream big,” Spanberger said. “They also don’t want us to lie to them. When you have a party that makes promise after promise and then say, ‘Oh, we passed it in the House, it’s not our fault’—vulnerable people believed you.”
Spanberger takes a swing at Mamdani:
"When she I said to her [Spanberger], you don't have a proposal for government run website or grocery stores on your website, she said, that's because I couldn't pass it…we have to not say we tried it and it didn't work." pic.twitter.com/m7Stw60xK5
— Ken Klippenstein (NSPM-7 Compliant) (@kenklippenstein) November 3, 2025
She added that many of Mamdani’s ideas, such as government-run transportation and grocery stores, would likely collapse under the weight of bureaucracy.
“Maybe he is going to get Albany on board with totally refinancing public transportation,” she said. “But there’s a lot of people who believe him.”
