New York City’s push toward a controversial new tax has ensnared one of its own ideological allies, triggering a public rift within progressive media circles.
Podcast host and business professor Scott Galloway found his personal address published alongside hundreds of thousands of others in a city-run registry this week.
City officials under Mayor Zohran Mamdani built the searchable database to track owners of secondary residences throughout New York.
The registry serves a specific purpose: flagging properties that may fall under a newly proposed pied-à-terre tax aimed squarely at wealthy second-home owners.
Officials defended the disclosure by pointing to legal obligation. A department spokesperson told Fox News that state statute mandated the roll’s public release.
Galloway addressed the situation head-on during a recent taping of “Pivot,” the podcast he hosts alongside journalist Kara Swisher.
“I’ve been doxed,” Galloway told his audience. “I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Mayor Mamdani has decided to release a list of the 950,000 residences with addresses and names that might be eligible for his pied-à-terre tax.”
Co-host Swisher echoed similar unease with the city’s approach during the broadcast.
“I can’t say I love this,” Swisher remarked. “It feels a little bit like doxing. Just tax them and get on with it is my feeling.”
Galloway didn’t stop at expressing discomfort — he cited an actual definition of doxing on air, describing the term as the act of “publishing private identifying information to expose someone to public pressure or harm without their consent.”
Notably, Galloway did not reject the tax proposal itself, distinguishing between the policy and its execution.
Instead, he zeroed in on how the city chose to implement it, likening the database to a public shaming tool.
“He’s taken a legitimate source of tax revenue, and he’s turning it into a wanted poster,” Galloway said of the mayor.
He pushed his critique further, raising pointed questions about the timing and intent behind the list’s release.
“The question I would have is, other than trying to identify and imply these people have done something wrong — and then, 18 months after a healthcare CEO was executed in the street, published the list — what is the upside here? Why is he doing this?” Galloway said.
Beyond his personal grievance, Galloway warned the move carries broader political consequences for the left.
“He’s not only playing into the worst fears about him, but he’s making it harder for all progressives,” Galloway said.
Still, Galloway maintained his own belief in higher taxation for the wealthy, distancing his stance from any anti-tax position.
“I believe in a progressive tax structure. I believe we should raise tax rates,” he said during the podcast.
He then aimed criticism at Republicans, accusing conservatives of exploiting episodes like this to attack tax policy broadly.
“The Republicans, in order to create deficits and continue to transfer money from the poor to the rich, they argue that progressive tax structures are persecution,” Galloway said. “This plays exactly into that entire narrative.”
Galloway also took issue with what he described as an implicit accusation baked into the database’s existence.
He said Mamdani’s administration is “implying we’ve done something wrong because we’re successful,” before adding a warning of his own.
“New York is the last place you want to demonize success,” Galloway said.
The remarks didn’t stay contained to podcast listeners for long, quickly circulating across social media and drawing responses from political figures nationwide.
Conservative commentators in particular latched onto the moment, casting it as proof that progressive policies can boomerang on their own advocates.
Spencer Pratt, a former Los Angeles mayoral candidate, was among the voices weighing in publicly, sharing a video clip of Galloway’s comments on X.
Pratt framed Galloway’s predicament using language tied to revolutionary political movements of the past.
“The communist refers to this person as the ‘useful idiot,’” Pratt wrote. “The gullible squish who foolishly supports the revolution, and only begins to understand his folly as he’s being lined up against the wall. If you think you’re safe from the commies cuz you vote blue, wake up.”
The episode marks another point of tension for Mamdani’s administration, which has drawn scrutiny on multiple fronts since he assumed office.
Neither Galloway nor Mamdani’s office issued additional statements beyond the podcast remarks and the department’s comments to Fox News.
Reaction to the database continues to build online as more affected property owners discover their inclusion on the list.
