Kathy Hochul says she thought thousands chanting ‘tax the rich’ at Mamdani rally were saying ‘let’s go Bills’

She made the claim when a reporter pressed her on the question. “I thought they were saying ‘Let’s go Bills,’" Hochul said. “I wasn’t sure… I heard some noise, I heard a lot of cheers. But later on it became clear to me, I know there is a passion for that."

When Hochul was asked about Mamdani's policies earlier this year, about raising taxes on wealthy New Yorkers as well as increasing the corporate income tax earlier this year, she said she did not support the measures. “I’m not raising taxes at a time where affordability is the big issue," she said.

The appearance of Hochul along with the others who appeared at the rally, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) as well as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), highlights a rift in the Democratic Party, where more progressive candidates have been pressuring mainstream and moderate Democrats to the left on issues such as the Israel-Hamas war and others.

Mamdani's proposals have included government-owned grocery stores, free childcare, a minimum wage of $30 an hour, as well as multiple other far-left policies. Mamdani has previously refused to call on Hamas to disarm when he was given the question in an interview as well.

Although she was faced with some boos as well as jeers from Mamdani's far-left supporters when she came onto the stage at the rally, Hochul tried to paint it as enthusiasm, per the New York Post. “I love the energy out there, I told them that," she said. “What I want to do is bottle all that up and use it in a few days.”