Fact Check: Did Whoopi Goldberg slam Zohran Mamdani over ‘tax the rich’ plan?
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Following the announcement of taxing the rich by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, which has garnered criticism, a rumor began circulating on social media platforms claiming that 'The View' host Whoopi Goldberg took a dig at the mayor for the new proposal, sparking speculations about the claim.
Let us analyse and fact-check it.
Claim: Whoopi Goldberg slams Zohran Mamdani's 'tax the rich' policy
According to the viral claim, Goldberg has joined the "We're not paying Mamdani's taxes" club for wealthy elites. It further claims that Whoopi has joined other elites, including Robert De Niro, Matt Damon, and Taylor Swift, to avoid handing over 11 percent of their net worth to the city.
Whoopi allegedly said she doubts ABC will continue filming ‘The View’ in New York. "They'll probably pull us back to LA, where it all began. Nobody can afford to live here anymore."
The claim, which surfaced on Facebook, has been shared on other social media platforms such as X and Instagram, garnering hundreds of thousands of views.
Fact Check: The claim originated as a satire
However, there is no evidence that Whoopi has expressed criticizm of Mamdani’s tax policies. There are also no credible reports that suggest Robert De Niro, Matt Damon, and Taylor Swift have slammed the development.
A Google search for the claim yielded no relevant results from any prominent news outlets, which, if true, would have been widely covered. Moreover, the claim was made on a popular Facebook parody page called ‘America’s Last Line of Defense,’ which states itself in the bio as ‘Nothing on this page is real.’
A similar claim was made recently about Robert De Niro, which has been debunked.
Kathy Hochul unveils tax on the ultra-wealthy
The claim surfaced as Mamdani is celebrating a new proposal aimed squarely at ultra-wealthy second-home owners, a move officials say could rake in at least $500 million a year.
Gov Kathy Hochul rolled out a pied-à-terre tax targeting high-end second homes in New York City valued at $5 million or more.
The plan would allow the city to impose an annual surcharge on properties owned by wealthy nonresidents, essentially those with multimillion-dollar homes they rarely use.
According to Hochul, the proposal is expected to generate at least $500 million annually.
The governor framed the measure as a fairness issue, saying it would “ensure that those that own luxury homes, but do not live in the City or pay City income tax, are still fairly contributing towards the funding of the essential services like policing and parks that make New York City a global destination.”
She stressed the tax wouldn’t affect locals. “It is not a tax on residents. That is so important. We're talking about people who are ultrawealthy,” Hochul said at a news conference.
