Political rallies are often choreographed to the last second, meant to project unity, momentum, and a dash of drama — but sometimes, the script runs off the rails. That’s exactly what happened at a Sunday night campaign event for Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist Assemblyman from Queens, who managed to gather an ideological Avengers lineup including Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Gov. Hochul claims she didn’t know what the crowd was chanting last night.
“I thought they were saying, ‘Let’s Go Bills.'” https://t.co/shZ684reGP pic.twitter.com/se1MX2nwJs
— Craig McCarthy (@createcraig) October 27, 2025
As expected, the event was more ideological theater than policy forum. AOC took the stage with her signature fervor, ricocheting from one talking point to another, delivering a breathless indictment of nearly every racial and economic structure in the country — except, curiously, for the one that got her elected. As she railed against systemic oppression, the crowd matched her energy, erupting into chants of “Tax the rich!” in a scene that felt more like a protest concert than a campaign rally.
Enter Gov. Kathy Hochul. The moderate Democrat, not known for her socialist leanings, was also in attendance — and that’s where things took a bizarre turn. As the crowd roared with the “tax the rich” refrain, Hochul later claimed she misheard them. Not as hecklers. Not as critics. No — according to the governor, she believed the crowd was yelling, “Let’s go, Bills,” referencing Buffalo’s NFL team.
Kathy Hochul oddly drags Buffalo Bills into ‘tax the rich’ chant that overwhelmed her appearance at Zohran Mamdani rally https://t.co/OcCOmVkNY9 pic.twitter.com/CH3tZE6dMx
— New York Post (@nypost) October 27, 2025
That statement was so strange it would’ve played better as a joke on late-night television. Hochul, a Buffalo native, may have wanted to pivot the narrative, but her claim landed like a fumbled snap. Whether intentional deflection or genuine confusion, it did little to mask the awkward truth: even at a rally for a fellow progressive, the governor couldn’t escape being the political punching bag of the night.
I almost always just nod yes when people are screaming at me, and I dont know what they are saying.
— 99 Rounded UP (@jeese241) October 27, 2025
The truth is, the chant wasn’t vague. “Tax the rich” is not exactly hard to decipher, especially in a room packed with socialist energy and flanked by two of the loudest voices for wealth redistribution in American politics. AOC and Sanders were in their element. Hochul? Not so much.
It was chanted 3 times. First time it was odd but by the third she knew what they were saying. pic.twitter.com/N1DAnTeUjD
— Ali (@MerruX) October 27, 2025
And yes, it’s true — there are Buffalo Bills fans everywhere. But unless they’ve also started calling for progressive tax reform in the end zone, Hochul’s excuse was as laughable as it was telling. At this point, mistaking grassroots outrage for football enthusiasm might be the most New York moment of the year.
