New Yorkers took notice when tax filings revealed the mayor earned about $145,000 last year.

What drew even greater attention, though, was that his 28-year-old wife, first lady Rama Duwaji, contributed just $10,000 to that total. 

Duwaji, who was recently embroiled in a racism scandal, works as a visual artist -known for her political pieces focusing on Middle Eastern themes, having worked with The New Yorker, Vogue and Tate Modern. 

Mamdani and Duwaji's relatively low income is partly due to the first lady's measly contribution - only $10,010 before taxes and expenses from her visual design business last year, according to their tax return. 

After deducting costs such as $500 for 'art supplies,' her net income fell to $8,860 -well below the 2025 federal poverty threshold for individuals, which was $15,650. 

Duwaji's modest earnings were supplemented by Mamdani, who brought in $131,926 before taxes from his Assembly salary, along with $1,600 in royalty payments from songs he produced under his hip-hop alias, 'Mr Cardamom.' 

'Rama is kind of like if a tradwife was a socialist lmao,' someone wrote on X in reference to her low contribution to the couple's household income. 

The couple also reported roughly $1,600 in capital gains, which Mamdani spokesperson Dora Pekec said came from a mutual fund. 

Mamdani campaigned in 2025 on making the city more affordable by expanding the social safety net. 

He has frequently argued that higher earners should contribute more - primarily through increased taxes - while also encouraging charitable giving.

Yet despite earning above the area median income, Mamdani and his wife reported no charitable contributions on their 2025 tax return.

Pekec said Mamdani did donate to charities but did not itemize those contributions because the couple took the standard deduction.