Dave Rubin recently posted a direct-message clip that captured Zohran Mamdani — the progressive wunderkind running to remake New York — stumbling through how he would actually pay for his promise of free city buses. The short clip, shared on Rubin’s show and reposted across conservative channels, is more than a gaffe; it’s a window into the fantasy-budgeting that fuels modern left-wing campaigns.
Mamdani’s plan to eliminate bus fares has been widely reported as requiring hundreds of millions of dollars every year — estimates range from roughly $500 million to as much as $650 million — and yet the Democratic socialist candidate offers little concrete on where that money will come from beyond vague promises to “tax the rich.” That’s the basic mismatch Dave Rubin highlighted: soaring new promises with no workable revenue plan, a pattern taxpayers have seen before and one that always ends with cuts or stealth tax hikes.
Supporters will point to a fare-free pilot that showed increased ridership and some safety improvements, but the pilot was limited, temporary, and ended when state lawmakers declined to reauthorize it — underscoring that a mayor alone cannot rewrite the MTA’s rules or balance its books. The reality is messy: pilots can teach lessons, but they don’t magically create billions in recurring revenue or give unilateral power to a mayor to remake a state-run agency overnight.
Conservative observers aren’t being “mean,” they’re being practical: promising free services without explaining who pays is irresponsible in the best of times and reckless in a city already groaning under debt and mismanagement. Commentators from both sides of the aisle, including sober analyses in major outlets, have warned that such proposals would either force steep tax increases on business and investment or hollow out other essential services. That’s not ideology, it’s arithmetic.
There’s also the control problem Mamdani glosses over — the mayor’s office does not directly control the MTA and appoints only a handful of board members, meaning real implementation would require state cooperation and political muscle Mamdani hasn’t yet demonstrated. Voters deserve candidates who can tell them plainly what’s feasible versus what’s campaign theater, especially when the promises involve public safety and daily commutes for working families.
Beyond the budget line, critics rightly point to fare evasion and system strain as practical problems that get worse when revenue streams disappear; upgrading infrastructure and addressing evasion costs real money, too. Republicans and fiscal-minded independents see Rubin’s DM clip as evidence that progressive populism traffics in feel-good slogans while ignoring the consequences for the hard-working New Yorkers who actually fund the city’s services.
Patriotic voters should demand answers: show a revenue plan, identify legal pathways to implement changes at a state-controlled transit authority, and explain how public safety and service quality won’t suffer. Dave Rubin did the public a service by airing the exchange — it’s a reminder that big promises require big math, and New Yorkers shouldn’t elect a mayor based on slogans when the bills will land squarely on their kitchen tables.
