Why Did Greg Abbott Threaten '100% Tariff' on New Yorkers Fleeing to Texas if Zohran Mamdani Wins?

Texas Governor Greg Abbott threatened on Monday to impose a 100 per cent tariff on anyone moving from New York City to Texas after the polls closed in the mayoral election, a constitutionally impossible declaration designed to stoke fears about the city's new progressive leadership. The announcement came as New Yorkers prepared to choose between democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani and former Governor Andrew Cuomo, with Mamdani ultimately winning in a historic upset.

'After the polls close tomorrow night, I will impose a 100% tariff on anyone moving to Texas from NYC', Abbott posted on X on the eve of Election Day. After Mamdani's victory was declared, the governor requested a 'moment of silence for NYC'.

No Legal Basis, But Plenty of Politics

The threat was legally meaningless. The power to impose tariffs rests solely with the federal government under the Constitution, not with individual states. Yet the posturing achieved its aim, mirroring broader Republican strategy to paint Mamdani's victory as a harbinger of urban exodus. President Donald Trump joined in, threatening to halt most federal funding to New York City, calling the incoming mayor a 'communist' and predicting the city would become a 'complete and total economic and social disaster'.

The rhetoric reveals deep anxiety amongst conservatives about what Mamdani's victory represents. At 34, the Uganda-born, Queens-raised assemblyman will become New York City's youngest mayor in more than a century, as well as its first Muslim and first person of South Asian heritage to lead the city. His platform of fare-free buses, rent freezes, universal childcare and city-owned grocery stores mobilised a coalition of young and working-class voters, along with endorsements from Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

For Abbott, a hardline conservative who has made immigration enforcement and confrontation with Democratic-led cities central to his political brand, Mamdani's victory offered an opportunity to amplify fears about progressive governance. The Texas governor has positioned himself as a bulwark against what he characterises as liberal policies, most notably through his controversial programme of busing migrants from the Texas border to Democratic cities including New York, Chicago and Washington.

Since 2022, Abbott has sent more than 100,000 migrants to these cities without advance notice, a strategy that Democrats condemned as using vulnerable people as 'political pawns' but which succeeded in forcing cities far from the border to confront the immigration crisis. The programme elevated Abbott's national profile and helped make border security a defining issue in the 2024 presidential election.

A Broader Culture War Message

Abbott, who has been Texas governor since 2015 and previously served as the state's attorney general for 12 years, has increasingly embraced 'culture war' issues. His administration has launched Operation Lone Star, deploying state troops and installing razor wire along the border, often in defiance of federal authorities. He has promoted stringent abortion restrictions, lenient gun laws and opposed Covid-19 mask and vaccine mandates.

The tariff threat also taps into a broader Republican narrative about liberal governance driving residents to red states. Texas has indeed seen significant migration from California and New York in recent years, though the reasons are complex and include housing costs, job opportunities and tax policies rather than purely ideological concerns.

Mamdani Fires Back

Mamdani's victory speech offered a direct rebuttal to Abbott and Trump's rhetoric. 'In this moment of political darkness, New York will be the light', he declared, before addressing the president directly. 'Donald Trump, since I know you're watching, I have four words for you. Turn the volume up'. The mayor-elect promised to stand alongside immigrants, the transgender community, Jewish New Yorkers and Muslim New Yorkers.