Dave Portnoy, the mastermind behind Barstool Sports, seems to have lost any remaining fondness for New York City following Zohran Mamdani’s recent triumph in the mayoral race.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Portnoy expressed his thoughts on a possible departure from the Big Apple, stating, “Currently, New York holds no strategic advantage for us. There are numerous cities that offer a more welcoming environment for businesses, unlike New York, which is evidently unfriendly toward them.”

Portnoy, who already resides outside of New York with properties in Miami, Montauk, and Nantucket, will not be impacted by Mamdani’s proposed two percent tax increase on high-income earners. Additionally, he remains unfazed by the newly elected official’s intention to elevate corporate tax rates in the city.

However, Portnoy has indicated to the Daily Mail that he is contemplating moving Barstool’s New York office and its considerable workforce due to Mamdani’s influence.

“Taxes are the least of my concerns,” Portnoy explained. “Mamdani embraces communism, while I am a staunch capitalist. I view the pursuit of success and wealth as virtues, whereas he perceives them as vices. I believe in rewarding hard work, whereas he advocates for universal accolades.”

Portnoy’s list of grievances didn’t end there.

For starters, Mamdani previously voiced support for defunding police. And while he has since apologized to local cops, Portnoy still views the mayor-elect as an enemy of New York’s Finest.

Swampscott, Massachusetts-native Dave Portnoy and Camryn D’Aloia attend a playoff game between his Celtics and Zohran Mamdani’s Knicks in Boston 

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji arrive to vote in Queens on Tuesday

‘I respect the NYPD and first responders,’ Portnoy continued. ‘He hates the NYPD and wants to defund them.’

Portnoy did not specifically mention the pro-Palestinian mayor-elect’s views on the Middle East or his critiques of US foreign policy, but the staunch Israel supporter accused Mamdani of being ‘a terrorist sympathizer.’

‘I hate terrorists,’ Portnoy said. ‘He hates America. I love America.’

The Daily Mail has reached out to Mamdani spokesman for a response to Portnoy’s accusation.

The first Muslim ever elected mayor of New York has long been accused of sympathizing with terrorists – claims he’s dismissed as ‘racist, baseless attacks.’

As for Mamdani’s resume, which includes stints as a foreclosure prevention counselor, an assemblyman in Queens and one-time rapper, Portnoy is decidedly unimpressed.

‘He has never had a real job in his life,’ Portnoy told the Daily Mail. ‘I worked my ass off to get where I am.

‘To be honest I don’t respect anything about him.’

Asked for any potential counterargument Mamdani, 34, could offer to change his mind, the 48-year-old media mogul balked: ‘There isn’t much a communist could say that would make me want to do business in NYC or any other city in the world.’

The New York Post described New York City as ‘The Red Apple’ after Mamdani’s win

Some Mamdani’s Jewish supporters are seen holding signs outside an election watch party

Mamdani supporters crowd around an election night watch party in Brooklyn on Tuesday

Were the mayor-elect his only consideration, that would be Portnoy’s final word on the subject.

But Barstool Sports’ New York offices staff hundreds of employees, all of whom would face a tough decision if Portnoy’s pirate ship raised anchor.

‘Barstool Sports isn’t just me,’ Portnoy wrote. ‘We have lots of people who work for us and I’m sure some voted for Mamdani. Lots of people have built their lives around working in NYC. 

‘I’m not sure it’s fair or that I’m ready to move the company just based on my personal disdain for everything about this guy.’

Personal disdain aside, Portnoy sees Mamdani as bad for business, which could prove to be the deciding factor for Barstool Sports and other local employers.

As financial expert, entrepreneur and the president of Exit Stage Left advisors Ted Jenkin told the Daily Mail, New York was already a difficult place for businesses before Mamdani’s imminent arrival at City Hall.

‘Class A real estate in New York is twice the price that it is in Dallas, let alone income taxes,’ Jenkin said.

‘The companies that also have a flexible hybrid schedule maybe ask themselves, if people don’t come in five days a week, what’s the point?’

Mamdani topped former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo by nearly nine percentage points

Jenkin named tax-friendly states like Texas, Florida, Tennessee and Nevada as three potential landing spots for media companies like Barstool Sports.

And while he acknowledged Mamdani’s plans to lighten the financial load for the city’s less fortunate, Jenkin predicts the mayor-elect’s tax hikes will ultimately exceed the numbers he proposed during the campaign.

‘I think the programs are going to be extremely costly,’ Jenkin said. ‘And if you look at states like California and also Massachusetts, where they’ve instituted millionaires’ taxes, this is the strategy of a socialist mayor, is to basically use wealth taxes and higher income taxes to pay for free programs.’

Just how much Mamdani’s tax plans will impact Barstool Sports staffers remains a mystery, and Portnoy isn’t pretending to have a crystal ball.

He envisions bad things for New York City under Mamdani, but for the time being, Portnoy’s bigger concern is his company. 

‘I’ll keep my options open,’ he wrote, ‘and see what happens.’