Andrew Cuomo changes tune on mega-rich after loss to socialist Zohran Mamdani in NYC mayoral primary

If at first you don’t succeed, eat the rich.

Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo relaunched his failed mayoral campaign with an attack on billionaires that conceded socialist rival Zohran Mamdani has a point when it comes to New York’s mega-rich.

Cuomo, in an interview with New York Magazine published Tuesday, acknowledged that Mamdani was authentic and genuine about his far-left beliefs on business — and even cast himself in agreement.

“Which, yeah, I’m anti-billionaire,” the Democratic primary loser said. “They have too much money. Make them give it back, especially when we’re having an affordability crisis.”

The anti-billionaire stance by Cuomo contrasts with his, at best, uneasiness with taxing the ultra-wealthy while in office.

Then-governor Cuomo in 2019 hammered his fellow Democrats in the state Senate for pushing a tax on millionaires — arguing it would cause the wealthy to leave the state.

New York would be able to “count on one hand the number of millionaires left” in the state if taxes went up, Cuomo said at the time.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuomo begged the rich to stay in New York City and pushed back on suggestions to tax them more, even as the state badly needed revenue.

He also stymied former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s 2013 promise to fund universal pre-kindergarten by taxing the rich.

But as Cuomo — who resigned in disgrace in 2021 amid a sexual harassment scandal — tried to mount his political comeback by running for mayor, he started to stake out policy positions that were more progressive than when he was governor.

The progressive firebrand Mamdani has consistently pushed to hike taxes on the wealthy to help fund free buses and childcare.

Focusing on affordability helped Mamdani trounce Cuomo in the June mayoral primary — a surprise win that sent many Big Apple billionaires and business leaders reeling.

Many of those bigs, disgusted by Cuomo’s uninspiring and lazy campaign, have withdrawn support from the former governor. Others are weighing sticking with him or shifting their hopes to Mayor Eric Adams.

Adams and Cuomo are both running as independents and pitching themselves as a bulwark against socialism.

Cuomo told New York Magazine Monday — when he officially announced he’d be staying in the November general election race — that he agreed with many of Mamdani’s goals, such as increasing affordable housing.

But he argued that Mamdani’s proposals were more slogans than actual solutions.

“So actually my plan is going to be responsible, doable,” Cuomo said. “It’s not going to rely on something I know I can never get passed. But his was very simply communicated. Mine was a paragraph. Housing is complicated, and I can’t say it in three words.”

— Additional reporting by Matthew Fischetti