New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his wife, first lady Rama Duwaji , will be skipping this year’s Met Gala, one of the most star-studded events of the year.
The move breaks with tradition that saw previous New York mayors, including Eric Adams, Bill de Blasio and Michael Bloomberg, all attend.
The event at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is set for 1 May and is typically attended by some of the world’s most famous artists, actors, and public figures.
This year's gala will be backed by billionaire Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sanchez.
A source told Page Six: "He’s not coming… it goes against everything he believes in," referring to Mamdani’s democratic socialist background.
A ticket for the event, which has long been criticised for its lack of accessibility and opulence, is priced at around $30,000 per person.
In recent weeks, Mamdani has pressed for taxing the wealthy and has pushed for policies which include investment in housing.
In a social media post on Wednesday, he said: "When I ran for mayor, I said I was going to tax the rich…well, today, we’re taxing the rich," before adding that he has secured a pied-a-terre tax.
He described it as an annual fee on luxury properties worth more than $5 million, and whose owners do not live full-time in the city.
The mayor said that billionaires who own such properties and do not live in them are part of a "fundamentally unfair system that hurts working New Yorkers".
He has also emphasised that he is against billionaires and the uber-wealthy.
In an interview earlier this year, he told reporters: "I don’t think that we should have billionaires because, frankly, it is so much money in a moment of such inequality, and ultimately, what we need more of is equality across our city and across our state and across our country."
Many have praised Mamdani’s decision, stating that it is the correct decision for the mayor and corresponds with the values stated in his campaign.
Lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attended the ball in 2021 in a dress bearing the words "Tax the Rich" - a gesture which was slammed as "performative".
Renowned media executive and the former editor-in-chief of Vogue , Anna Wintour, has presided over the Met Gala since 1995 and recently praised New York City’s first lady.
In an interview with Vogue , she said: "I’m full of admiration for New York City’s new first lady because she looks so cool and wears a lot of vintage — young and modern and also entirely herself."
Duwaji, who is of Syrian heritage, is an illustrator who has frequently criticised Israel for its war on Gaza and Lebanon, as well as attacks on Syria.
This year’s theme is "Costume Art," with a dress code of "Fashion is Art".