NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Blasts Elon Musk Over Wealth During Independence Day Speech

During New York City’s celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary, Mayor Zohran Mamdani denounced extreme inequality, calling the world’s first trillion‑dollar billionaire a “parasite.” Elon Musk, who became a trillionaire after SpaceX’s recent IPO, replied on Twitter that Mamdani “built nothing” and is “a taker, never a maker.”

Critics on social media highlighted Musk’s reliance on government contracts, loans, subsidies and tax credits totaling at least $38 billion, and echoed Mamdani’s call for higher taxes on the ultra‑rich. Mamdani’s administration has promoted policies such as expanded low‑cost childcare, wage‑theft enforcement for gig workers, city‑run grocery stores and a second‑home tax for wealthy residents.