Longtime New York real estate developer Charles Kushner announced he is relocating to Florida, citing antisemitism by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and First Lady Rama Duwaji as his primary reason for leaving after decades in the city.
"I don't want to pay taxes and live in a city with a blatantly antisemitic mayor and his antisemitic wife, period," Kushner told The Post. "I also don't want to live in the city with the people who voted for him."
Kushner attributed his decision principally to what he characterized as the mayor's longstanding hostility toward Israel and the Jewish community rather than ideological disagreements. He cited Mamdani's absence from the Israel Day Parade, calls to arrest Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu as a war criminal, engagement with anti-Israel demonstrators at Columbia University, and what he described as Duwaji's apparent celebration of the October 7 Hamas massacre.
"I don't think you can reason with people that celebrate brutality on October 7th and say it was a hoax," Said Kushner, who currently serves as US Ambassador to France. "I don't think they are people worth talking to. I speak to a lot of people that don't have political views that I have, and there's two sides, and I respect everybody's opinion, but I don't respect anybody that celebrates murder, rape, brutality."
Kushner also criticized Mamdani's approach to successful business leaders, pointing to a campaign video promoting a pied-à-terre tax that featured hedge fund manager Ken Griffin as an example.
"You know, Ken Griffin worked hard to earn all that money," Kushner said. "He took a lot of risk to earn all that money. That's what America's about."
Though establishing Florida residency, Kushner plans to retain his Manhattan apartment despite the proposed tax. He expressed concern that Mamdani's leadership could damage the city.
"I think there's a lot of people like me that love New York City," He said, hoping the city is "so robust and such an energetic and strong city that hopefully one person can't ruin it." He compared the situation to previous administrations, stating that "if I was a betting person, if one person could ruin it or bring it down, it's this mayor."
Kushner called for New York to remain a place where ambition and hard work are valued rather than where successful individuals are attacked. "The opportunity is there for all Americans," He said, adding, "I hope they find happiness with this moronic mayor."
Kushner said he anticipates a positive future in Florida with family and friends who have already made the move.