Republicans should run ads throughout this election year with a clip of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul arrogantly sneering that wealthy people who fled her state because of sky-high taxes and crime have an obligation to return and hand over their money to fund her ever-increasing welfare programs.
Democrats are always tone deaf to a certain extent, because they don’t believe they should have to live in the same reality as everyone else. But I think Hochul’s comments win the prize for most tone deaf remarks from a politician this year. She does not ask wealthy New Yorkers to return; she angrily insists upon it as a duty because she believes she has a right to confiscate as much of their money as she wishes.
I don’t think she even stopped to consider how embarrassing that sounded, because she doesn’t care. No wonder she gets along so well with Commie New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani — neither of them believes in private property, both of them believe in socialism, and both of them are complete hypocrites who live high on the hog while impoverishing others. Or, in other words, they are ideal Democrats.
Below is the clip of Hochul. Pay careful attention to how she says that she needs more money. “And being conscious of the fact that I need people who are high net worth to support the generous social programs that we want to have in our state,” she lectured, “there are some patriotic millionaires who stepped up. Okay, cut me the checks.” Yes, she really said that.
Kathy Hochul making a weak plea for wealthy people who have left New York (to red states like Florida) to come back to pay their high taxes to fund failing (unaccountable) social programs:
— Matt Whitlock (@MattWhitlock) March 18, 2026
“I need people who are high net worth to support the generous social programs we have in… pic.twitter.com/7quhsFyWyn
Then, instead of showing gratitude, she whined, “And just, if you want to be supportive, but maybe the first step should be, go down to Palm Beach and see who you can bring back home. Because our tax base has been eroded.” That is how she described her party driving out countless wealthy people with idiotic tax hikes, mass illegal migration, and government overregulation.
Hochul actually griped that “we are in competition with other states who have less of a tax burden on their incorporations and their individuals. And I would say remote work changed everything. There were people who could only work in an office in Manhattan, work in New York City, and they were captives to our state they were gonna stay. We saw that — that's not the case. I mean, you know, Wall Street businesses looking at Texas, they're not going there because they have a nicer governor. But they're going there because of the tax rate.” She actually referred to taxpayers as captives — who escaped, much to her disappointment.
Again, if Republicans handle this right, it could be a great selling point against Democrats ahead of the midterm election. If Hochul is this greedy about rich people's money, she will be equally greedy about any taxpayer's money. If a voter is worried about the cost of living — and voters definitely are right now — and he sees a clip of Hochul angrily discussing her lack of other people's money to fund more welfare, added to context provided by the GOP about how many illegal aliens New York funds, it will seem more personal.
Related: Kathy Hochul Could Have Learned a Lot From Margaret Thatcher
In 2024, Newsweek reported, "Migrants’ Monthly Payment in NYC Is Higher Than Veterans Compensation." Between 2023 and 2024, New York City alone spent almost $5 billion on illegal aliens, with the 2024-2025 numbers projected at $10 billion. According to the city's government, "New York State has committed $4.3 billion in funding for asylum seeker costs statewide in State Fiscal Years 2023-24 and 2024-25." As of 2024, ABC7 reported that half of New York City residents did not have sufficient income to survive.
The only difference between the very wealthy and the middle class in New York is that the very wealthy can afford to move and the middle class cannot. But the middle class feel the financial pinch even more. Hochul just handed the GOP the perfect campaign ad about tone deaf Democrats.
