A few days ago, CNN news anchor Abby Phillip interviewed the Democratic candidate in the New York City mayoral race, Zohran Mamdani. He did what he always does, staying focused on his core message of making the city more affordable for ordinary New Yorkers with initiatives like free childcare, rent freezes for already rent-stabilized apartments, and eliminating bus fares. Mamdani has emerged as one of the best messengers for a democratic socialist agenda, combining a consistently compelling and charismatic delivery with relentless message discipline. As always, it was a pleasure to watch him in action.

Phillip’s side of the conversation, by contrast, revealed the limited political imaginations of the custodians of respectability at CNN. She seemed to be arguing that any moves toward substantial redistribution of wealth from the rich to everyone else should be off-limits.

At one point, Phillip raised the topic of Tesla’s proposed pay package to Elon Musk, which is poised to make him a trillionaire. Presumably fishing for a sound bite where Mamdani would come off as a fire-breathing radical, she asked him, “Do you think trillionaires should exist?”