A newly unearthed video of New York City's controversial new renters' advocate has ignited a political firestorm, revealing her radical ambition to restructure the American housing market entirely. Cea Weaver, appointed by socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani, is seen arguing for a system of 'full social housing' for all Americans, a comment that has gone viral and drawn fierce criticism.
The Viral Comments and a Controversial Vision
In the resurfaced clip, whose original recording date is unclear, Weaver lays out her core philosophy. She praises rent stabilisation and rent control specifically for weakening the 'speculative value' of property. "The value is no longer based on what the landlord is able to get," she states, "but rather it's based on a state public board deciding how much rent is going up."
Weaver, serving as Mayor Mamdani's director of the Office to Protect Tenants, contends that a powerful rent control campaign which undermines the broader housing market would ultimately strengthen the fight for socialised housing. In a separate interview from 2021 that also recirculated this week, she identified 'white, middle-class homeowners' as a 'huge problem' for the renter justice movement.
She acknowledged that homeownership is America's de facto retirement plan, given the lack of free college or universal healthcare. Yet, she argued this very system "serves to completely divide working class people and protect those at the top." Her stated goal, therefore, is to 'undermine the institution of homeownership' itself.
Hypocrisy Claims and Family Property Holdings
While advocating for the dismantling of private housing markets, Weaver has faced accusations of hypocrisy regarding her own family's property investments. Her mother, Celia Applegate, a professor at Vanderbilt University, owns a home in Nashville valued at approximately $1.4 million, purchased for $814,000 in 2012. The property's significant value increase occurred in a city known for rapid gentrification, a process Weaver has frequently condemned.
Furthermore, her father, Stewart A Weaver, a history professor, is a landlord. He and his wife own a townhouse in Brighton, New York, valued at nearly $159,000, which they rent out for income. Despite this, Mr Weaver has publicly supported his daughter's tenant protection advocacy, even testifying before a state housing committee.
Public and Online Backlash
The resurfaced remarks have provoked a torrent of criticism online and elsewhere. Social media users have lambasted Weaver's economic understanding, with one critic on X writing, "She has zero clue how market actually work. Woefully unqualified for any role beyond barista." Others have drawn comparisons to Karl Marx and questioned the constitutionality of her proposals.
"Not sure if it's constitutional or not but either way elite completely idiotic. If you remove incentives you will restrict supply. Simple as that," one commenter stated. Another added, "I've never witnessed anyone so arrogantly discuss the destruction of the American dream."
Weaver has not responded to requests for comment from the Daily Mail. The controversy follows an incident last week where she was filmed breaking down in tears outside her Brooklyn apartment when questioned by a reporter over her past assertion that it is racist for white people to own homes.
The ongoing saga highlights the deep ideological divides over housing policy in the United States, positioning free-market principles against a growing push for state-controlled solutions, with Cea Weaver firmly at the centre of the storm.
