Andrew Cuomo calls Zohran Mamdani a hypocrite over Ugandan mansion and NYC rent-stabilized home

Andrew Cuomo criticized Zohran Mamdani for owning a Ugandan villa and NYC rent-stabilized apartment while campaigning against private property
PUBLISHED OCT 5, 2025
Andrew Cuomo criticized Zohran Mamdani for being a wealthy landowner while posing as a working-class socialist (Spencer Platt/Getty Images, Michael M Santiago/Getty Images)
Andrew Cuomo criticized Zohran Mamdani for being a wealthy landowner while posing as a working-class socialist (Spencer Platt/Getty Images, Michael M Santiago/Getty Images)

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo targeted socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani on Friday, October 3, calling him a “mansion boy” and a “hypocrite” for owning valuable property abroad while campaigning to abolish private property rights.

Cuomo made the remarks in an interview with the New York Post, accusing the Queens assemblyman of “posing as a working-class champion while living off family wealth.”



 

Andrew Cuomo calls Zohran Mamdani a wealthy landowner with foreign property

According to state and city financial disclosure filings, Zohran Mamdani owns vacant land in Jinja, Uganda, valued between $100,000 and $250,000.

The 33-year-old assemblyman has reportedly held the property since 2012, despite building his political brand on opposing private ownership.

“Being a wealthy landowner with foreign investments, while holding a rent-stabilized apartment in the tightest housing market in the nation, is the height of hypocrisy,” Cuomo told the outlet.

Cuomo, who is running as an independent and currently trails Mamdani in recent polls, said the assemblyman’s image as a grassroots socialist doesn’t hold up under scrutiny.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 24: New York mayoral candidate, State Rep. Zohran Mamdani (D-NY) speaks to supporters during an election night gathering at The Greats of Craft LIC on June 24, 2025 in the Long Island City neighborhood of the Queens borough in New York City. Mamdani was announced as the winner of the Democratic nomination for mayor in a crowded field in the City’s mayoral primary to choose a successor to Mayor Eric Adams, who is running for re-election on an independent ticket. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Zohran Mamdani spoke to supporters during an election night gathering at The Greats of Craft LIC in Queens (Michael M Santiago/Getty Images)

Andrew Cuomo calls Zohran Mamdani a mansion boy living off family wealth

Cuomo criticized Mamdani’s privileged background, highlighting his family’s lifestyle and overseas holdings.

“Zohran Mamdani can call himself a working-class champion all he wants, but it’s just an act from an award-winning director’s son,” Cuomo said.

“Working men and women don’t live in mansions with armed guards and have family homes around the world — oligarchs’ sons do.”

He continued, “Zohran Mamdani is a mansion boy living off family wealth.”

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 24: (L-R) Mira Nair, New York mayoral candidate, State Rep. Zohran Mamdani (D-NY) Rama Duwaji and Mahmood Mamdani celebrate on stage during an election night gathering at The Greats of Craft LIC on June 24, 2025 in the Long Island City neighborhood of the Queens borough in New York City. Mamdani was announced as the winner of the Democratic nomination for mayor in a crowded field in the City’s mayoral primary to choose a successor to Mayor Eric Adams, who is running for re-election on an independent ticket. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Mira Nair and Mahmood Mamdani celebrated with Zohran Mamdani during an election night event in Queens (Michael M Santiago/Getty Images)

Andrew Cuomo criticizes Zohran Mamdani family villa and Airbnb rentals

Mamdani’s parents, Mahmood Mamdani, a professor at Columbia University, and acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair, known for directing Monsoon Wedding, own a five-bedroom villa overlooking Lake Victoria in Uganda.

The luxury property, complete with armed security and lakefront views, has reportedly been rented on Airbnb for eight years, despite Mamdani’s outspoken opposition to the platform.

Critics have accused the politician of double standards, pointing to his family’s income from short-term rentals while he pushes for tenant protections and corporate regulation at home.

Democratic socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani, who won the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City, attends an endorsement event from the union DC 37 on July 15, 2025, in New York City. Weeks after Mamdani won the Democratic primary for mayor, various wealthy interest groups have begun to mobilize against the 33-year-old state assemblyman. Mamdani has vowed to freeze rent hikes for a year, make buses free, and increase taxes on wealthy New Yorkers. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday that he will continue his run for New York City mayor after losing to Zohran Mamdani in last month's Democratic primary. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Zohran Mamdani attended a union DC 37 endorsement event after winning the Democratic primary for New York City mayor (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Andrew Cuomo questions whether Zohran Mamdani’s Queens apartment reflects his image

While Mamdani often posts videos of himself eating burritos on the subway and presenting himself as an everyman, Cuomo questioned the authenticity of that image.

Mamdani currently lives in a rent-stabilized apartment in Queens, which he has described as part of his “commitment to working-class living.”

But Cuomo’s remarks have reignited questions about whether the assemblyman’s political brand matches his personal lifestyle.

“Working-class New Yorkers deserve honesty,” Cuomo said. “They don’t need another politician preaching socialism from a luxury villa.”

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