Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson Dismisses Wealthy Residents Leaving Over Washington Millionaire’s Tax

Seattle’s socialist Mayor Katie Wilson drew sharp criticism after dismissive comments about wealthy residents leaving Washington over taxes, with multiple outlets tying the controversy to a specific Seattle University event and to the state’s newly enacted “millionaire’s tax.”

Fox News and the New York Post both describe the Washington Post editorial board’s attack on Wilson, quoting the board’s line that “Nine days after winning Seattle’s November mayoral election, Katie Wilson joined Starbucks baristas on a picket line and pledged to boycott the coffee conglomerate until their union got its way.”

Fox News

The same Washington Post editorial board passage, as repeated by Fox News, says, “The socialist will need to wait a while longer for her caffeine fix,” and both Fox News and the New York Post connect that framing to Wilson’s later remarks.

Fox News also reports that Wilson’s comments took place during a “Governing Through a Progressive Lens” forum at Seattle University’s Pigott Auditorium on April 14, 2026.

In that event, Fox News says Wilson used the university’s “Conversations” series and appeared alongside King County Executive Girmay Zahilay.

The core exchange that became a viral flashpoint is Wilson’s “bye” line, which Reason quotes directly as: “I think the claims that millionaires are going to leave our state are, like, super overblown. And if, you know, the ones that leave, like, bye!,” she said with a wave and a snicker.

Reason adds that the audience “joined in with whoops and applause,” while Fox News describes the “bye” comment as fueling “a growing debate” over whether Seattle’s leadership is “intentionally purging its most successful residents in favor of ideological purity.”

The criticism of Wilson is repeatedly anchored to Washington state’s “millionaire’s tax,” which Fox News and Reason both describe as a 9.9% rate on annual incomes exceeding $1 million.

Fox News says Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson’s, D., new “millionaire’s tax,” imposes “a 9.9% rate on annual incomes exceeding $1 million,” and it links the tax to a broader business and taxpayer frustration narrative.

New York Post

Reason similarly states that “Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson in March signed a "millionaire's tax" that imposes a 9.9 percent tax on income over $1 million.”

Reason also places Wilson’s “bye” response within a larger discussion about “The New Progressives” during an April 16 discussion as part of Seattle University’s Conversations series.

In that Reason account, Wilson is asked whether progressive taxes are “an easy and promising solution,” and Reason quotes her response that it was “very, very exciting to see the billionaire tax pass the legislature.”

The same Reason text ties the tax environment to other high-profile moves, including Fisher Investments moving from Washington to Texas to escape a new capital gains tax, and it says “Billionaire Jeff Bezos fled the state for Florida, also motivated by taxes.”

It further connects the tax backdrop to a specific claim about Jeff Bezos, quoting the Washington Policy Center’s Chris Corry: “Jeff Bezos sold about $15 billion in stocks before the new law took effect, potentially saving over $1 billion in taxes,” and it adds, “Moving his primary residency to Florida would ensure that any future stock sales would not be subject to the excise tax.”

Fox News also ties the tax horizon to Starbucks and to former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, stating that “With the tax on the horizon, former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz announced that he and his wife are fleeing Seattle for Miami. Florida has no state income tax.”

Fox News and the New York Post portray Wilson as a longtime progressive activist whose past policy positions are used to interpret her remarks about taxes and migration.

“The Washington Post editorial board on Friday lambasted Seattle’s socialist Mayor Katie Wilson for dismissive comments regarding the city’s exodus of wealthy residents and growing taxpayer frustration over soaring rates”

Fox News

Fox News says Wilson is “a longtime progressive activist and co-founder of the Transit Riders Union,” and it adds that she “notably championed a ‘Solidarity Budget’ that sought to slash the Seattle Police Department's funding by 50%.”

The New York Post repeats that Wilson “has faced significant heat for her past support of radical policies,” and it again cites the “Solidarity Budget” effort to cut Seattle Police Department funding by “50%.”

Both outlets also emphasize how Wilson responded to claims about wealthy people leaving, quoting her directly as, “I think the claims that millionaires are going to leave our state are, like, super overblown,” and then adding her “bye” line.

Fox News frames the Washington Post editorial board’s characterization of Wilson as “arrogant,” stating that “The traditionally liberal newspaper did not pull its punches, describing Wilson as ‘arrogant’ for her handling of the city's economic concerns.”

Fox News also quotes the editorial board’s description that “Her arrogance is increasingly typical of the state’s political elites,” and it ties that language to the viral wave and to Wilson’s “bye” comment.

Reason, while also quoting Wilson, places the exchange in a different argumentative frame by describing her as “socialist” and by quoting her “Bye!” line “to cheers from a largely progressive audience.”

Reason also includes a dialogue element involving King County Executive Girmay Zahilay, stating that Zahilay acknowledged that “everything is a tradeoff” and “of course I think taxes can make companies make decisions about staying or leaving.”

In the Fox News account, the editorial board warns that “industry leaders are sharing these concerns,” and it cites Microsoft President Brad Smith, who is quoted as being “probably more worried right now about the business climate in Washington than at any point over the last 30 years.”

The reporting diverges in how it presents the same central controversy, especially around the event framing and the broader interpretive context.

Fox News and the New York Post both foreground the Washington Post editorial board’s critique, with Fox News quoting the editorial board’s “scathing piece” titled “Seattle’s mayor waves goodbye to prosperity,” and the New York Post repeating that same description.

seattlered

Fox News specifies the forum as “Governing Through a Progressive Lens” at Seattle University’s Pigott Auditorium on April 14, 2026, and it says Wilson appeared alongside King County Executive Girmay Zahilay.

Reason, by contrast, describes Wilson’s remarks as coming during an April 16 discussion about “The New Progressives” as part of Seattle University’s Conversations series, and it names host Joni Balter and graduate student Ari Winter.

Reason also quotes Zahilay’s response that “everything is a tradeoff” and “of course I think taxes can make companies make decisions about staying or leaving,” while Fox News instead emphasizes the editorial board’s claim that “industry leaders are sharing these concerns.”

The outlets also differ in how they connect the tax story to specific corporate actions: Fox News highlights Starbucks store closures and says Starbucks announced “a major expansion in Nashville, Tennessee—a move that will shift 2,000 jobs away from the Pacific Northwest.”

Reason similarly mentions Starbucks building a corporate hub in Tennessee and moving jobs there, but it does so as part of a broader argument that “people often leave high-tax states in search of lower tax bills.”

Reason also includes additional named figures and numbers not present in Fox News, including Tax Foundation’s Abir Mandal and a set of net AGI per new resident figures such as “roughly $184,771 per new resident” for Florida and “$59,440 in AGI per person” for California.

Meanwhile, Fox News and the New York Post focus more tightly on Wilson’s “bye” comment and on the editorial board’s characterization of her as “arrogant,” including the line “Her arrogance is increasingly typical of the state’s political elites.”

The sources portray the stakes for Seattle and Washington as tied to whether high earners and major employers stay or leave after the tax changes, and they connect the controversy to potential corporate and political consequences.

“You Browser Working London Working www”

HarianBasis.co

Fox News says the Washington Post editorial board warned that “industry leaders are sharing these concerns,” and it cites Microsoft President Brad Smith’s quote that he is “probably more worried right now about the business climate in Washington than at any point over the last 30 years.”

Fox News

Fox News also states that Wilson’s remarks came as she “double down on her socialist platform and the state’s recently enacted 9.9% tax on high earners,” and it frames the “bye” comment as part of a “growing debate” about whether Seattle’s leadership is “intentionally purging its most successful residents.”

Reason adds that entrepreneurs and investors will “certainly take that comment into account,” and it points to specific examples of migration and corporate shifts, including Fisher Investments moving to Texas and Starbucks moving jobs to Tennessee.

Reason also ties the tax environment to a broader set of numbers from Tax Foundation’s Abir Mandal, who is quoted saying that “states with no income tax or lower overall tax burdens not only gained population but also attracted a disproportionate share of adjusted gross income,” and it provides the net AGI per new resident ranges for places like Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

In that same Reason account, Mandal is quoted describing losses for high-tax states, including “California lost approximately $59,440 in AGI per person” and “Massachusetts lost $141,672.”

The New York Post and Fox News both emphasize the viral nature of Wilson’s wave and “bye” comment, with Fox News describing it as a “viral flashpoint,” and the New York Post repeating that the remarks were “dismissive” toward “tax-weary residents.”

Across the sources, the immediate next step is not described as a formal policy action, but the reporting consistently returns to the idea that the tax climate and Wilson’s rhetoric could influence decisions by companies and wealthy individuals about where to live and do business.

The Fox News account also notes that Wilson’s remarks were made at Seattle University’s Pigott Auditorium during a forum on April 14, 2026, and it places the broader debate in the context of the state’s “millionaire’s tax” and the city’s economic concerns.