NYC Mayor's Tax Filing Exposes First Lady's Modest Earnings
New Yorkers have been closely examining the financial disclosures of their mayor, Zohran Mamdani, after his tax returns became public. The documents reveal that the mayor and his wife, first lady Rama Duwaji, earned approximately $145,000 in total last year. What has particularly captured public attention is the breakdown of this income, showing Duwaji contributed a mere $10,000 to the household total.
Detailed Breakdown of the Couple's Income
According to their 2025 tax return, Mayor Mamdani earned $131,926 before taxes from his Assembly salary. Additionally, he received $1,600 in royalty payments from songs produced under his hip-hop alias, 'Mr. Cardamom.' The couple also reported around $1,600 in capital gains, which a spokesperson attributed to a mutual fund.
In contrast, Duwaji's visual design business generated only $10,010 before taxes and expenses. After deducting costs, including $500 for art supplies, her net income plummeted to $8,860. This figure falls significantly below the 2025 federal poverty threshold for individuals, which was set at $15,650.
Public Reaction and Political Context
The revelation has sparked discussion on social media, with one user on X commenting, 'Rama is kind of like if a tradwife was a socialist lmao,' highlighting the irony of her minimal financial contribution. This comes despite Mayor Mamdani's 2025 campaign platform, which focused on making New York more affordable by expanding the social safety net. He has consistently advocated for higher earners to contribute more through increased taxes and encouraged charitable giving.
Interestingly, despite earning above the area median income, the couple reported no charitable contributions on their tax return. A spokesperson explained that Mamdani did donate to charities but did not itemize these contributions because they took the standard deduction. However, details about these donations were not immediately available.
Duwaji's Professional Background and Recent Scandal
Rama Duwaji, a 28-year-old Texas-born Syrian-American, works as a visual artist known for her political pieces focusing on Middle Eastern themes. Her portfolio includes collaborations with prestigious institutions such as The New Yorker, Vogue, and Tate Modern.
However, her public image has been marred by a racism scandal that emerged in March. Old tweets from her social media account were uncovered, revealing the use of racial slurs, including the n-word, and anti-Israel remarks. The posts, dating back to 2013 when she was 15, were linked to her using facial recognition software by the Washington Free Beacon.
In her first public interview since her husband became mayor in January, Duwaji addressed the controversy with online publication Hyperallergic. She expressed shame and apologized, stating, 'When a tabloid recently published old tweets I wrote as a teenager, I felt a lot of shame being confronted with language I used that is so harmful to others; being 15 doesn't excuse it. I've read and seen a lot of what others have had to say in response, and I understand the hurt I caused and am truly sorry.'
Additional Controversial Online Activity
The scandal deepened with reports that Duwaji liked posts celebrating the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, including one that dismissed reports of sexual violence as a 'mass rape hoax.' Her history of sharing contentious content appears extensive, with tweets from 2013 blaming 'white people' for the creation of Al-Qaeda and arguing that Israelis should not be allowed to live in Tel Aviv.
As New Yorkers digest these revelations, the juxtaposition of the couple's income details with Duwaji's controversial past continues to fuel public debate and scrutiny.
