CBS Delivers Disappointingly Soft Interview of Zohran Mamdani

Curtis Houck
April 17th, 2026 2:25 PM

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Thursday’s CBS Mornings scored a huge get with an interview of socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the perfect chance for a national sit-down and for the Bari Wess-led network to level hard-hitting questions about his plans to raise taxes on everyone (even possibly property taxes), far-left hiring decisions, his wife’s pro-October 7 social media history, soaring costs for city-owned grocery stories, his support for pro-Hamas grad student Mahmoud Khalil, and more.

But, alas, co-host Gayle King and featured co-host Vladimir Duthiers disappointed with questions that they tried to pass off as pressing, but were an absolute cakewalk.

King didn’t even try to appear tough in the open:

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani capped off one of the most impressive rises in modern political history when he was sworn into office in January. The Democratic socialist became the first Asian American and the first Muslim mayor of New York City. Mamdani is also the city’s youngest mayor in more than a century. So, how’s the mayor doing in his first 100 days?     

This led into a brisk man-on-the-street that featured letter grades from seven New Yorkers, five of whom gave him some version of an A, one C+ and one C because “he hasn’t done anything too bad” or “too good yet.”

This led into King asking “how do you think you’re doing in your first 100 days” and then “why haven’t you” achieved in full his top three campaign promises of free buses, free childcare, and rent freezes.

Watch as Mamdani filibustered in both cases, insisting everything’s running smoothly:

Duthiers then had a few questions, lamenting how it could be challenging for “a Democratic socialist platform” to “translate” his candidacy “into something that’s a totally viable in a statewide election or national election, given that, according to Gallup, many older and rural voters still have issues with the term, with the label, socialist?”

It’s true! Those older, rural voters also get a chance to vote and, believe it or not, their votes count the same as rich New York liberals!

Mamdani replied that his constituents “ask me less about how I describe my politics and more about whether my politics includes them and I think what we can see is that a democratic socialist politics is one that should be judged on its delivery, like any ideology.”

Duthiers could only double down (which Mamdani would also do in predicting socialism will go nationwide:

The interview’s largest block concerned his “relationship with President Trump” and King’s pointless attempts to have Mamdani explain how often they talk to each other and specifics about what is said.

This conveniently gave him the runway to spout off unchallenged about how we spend billions on the military, but “an ounce of that money to help working-class Americans across this country”:

Noticeably, Vlad Duthiers again pressed Mamdani from the left, this time about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. But by acknowledging criticism of his DEI platform from Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, Duthiers gave Mamdani the opening to wiggle out by condemning the Trump Justice Department:

With time running out, King demanded he “do” something about disturbing new video of two undercover cops beating a man in a Brooklyn liquor store instead of, say, a disturbing trial where a man who shot dead a young officer was found not guilty of murder:

The best question was actually last one with Vlad Duthiers bringing up Mamdani’s call to hike income taxes. But since time was running out, there wasn’t time for a follow-up (click “expand”):

DUTHIERS: Mr. Mayor, before you go, Governor Kathy Hochul has been adamant about not raising income taxes on the wealthy, which is key to getting much of your agenda accomplished. How do you get her on board for what you’re trying to accomplish?

MAMDANI: Well, I’m actually really excited that you asked that question just a few days ago, the governor announced that we are going to be pursuing the city’s first-ever pied-à-terre tax. This is a tax on secondary homes owned by non-New Yorkers that are worth more than $5 million. We’re talking about oligarchs from across the world. And these are homes that when their built developers even tell local elected officials, don’t worry, it’s not going to be an increase in city services because no one’s going to live here. We’re going to be raising $500 million for the city directly from this new peer-to-tier tax. And it is a clear example of not only a system of taxation that has been hurting working people, but now one that will be fairer by taxing the wealthiest just a little bit more.

This joke of an interview ended where it began, specifically King asking a softball: “Are you still enjoying this job?” Of course, Mamdani said he was.

To see the relevant CBS transcript from April 16, click here.

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