Texas Gov. Greg Abbott took a swipe at New Yorkers on the eve of their high-stakes mayoral election, saying he plans to impose a “100% tariff” on anyone moving from the Empire State to Texas.
“After the polls close tomorrow night, I will impose a 100% tariff on anyone moving to Texas from NYC,” Abbott posted Monday on X.
According to Fox News, the tongue-in-cheek remark came as New York City voters prepared to head to the polls for a closely watched matchup between Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent.
Abbott’s post appeared to play off the ongoing trend of Americans relocating from high-tax blue states like New York and California to states such as Texas, which boast lower taxes and fewer regulations. Still, any such “tariff” would be legally impossible — as the power to impose tariffs lies with the federal government, not individual states.
Fox News Digital reached out to Abbott’s office for clarification, though it’s widely believed the governor was poking fun at the influx of new residents from liberal states.
Meanwhile, the New York City mayoral race has drawn national attention — and even the involvement of former President Donald Trump, who has thrown his support behind Cuomo.
Trump took to Truth Social on Monday to warn that a Mamdani victory could spell disaster for the city.
“It can only get worse with a communist at the helm, and I don’t want to send, as president, good money after bad,” Trump wrote. “It is my obligation to run the nation, and it is my strong conviction that New York City will be a complete and total economic and social disaster should Mamdani win.”
Trump also took aim at Mamdani’s record as a former state assemblyman, adding:
“He was nothing as an assemblyman, ranked at the bottom of the class, and as mayor of, potentially, again, the greatest city in the world, HE HAS NO CHANCE to bring it back to its former glory!”
While Abbott’s post was clearly tongue-in-cheek, it underscored the broader political divide — and ongoing rivalry — between red states like Texas and blue strongholds such as New York.
