Zohran Mamdani pledged to “reinvent” New York City on his first day as mayor, promising a “new era” for the largest city in the United States and an ambitious opening to his term.
The 34-year-old democratic socialist, until recently a little-known state assemblyman, becomes the city’s first Muslim mayor, the first of south Asian descent and the first to be born in Africa. He is also the first mayor to be sworn in on the Qur’an.
Speaking to supporters, Mamdani said moments of change were rare, and rarer still when driven by the people themselves. He rejected advice to temper expectations. “I will do no such thing,” he said. “Beginning today we will govern expansively and audaciously. We may not always succeed, but never will we be accused of lacking the courage to try.”
He openly embraced his political identity. “I was elected as a democratic socialist and I will govern as a democratic socialist,” he said, drawing loud cheers. “I will not abandon my principles for fear of being called radical.”
He ended his speech by saying: “The work has only just begun.”
Hours later, Mamdani revoked all executive orders issued by his predecessor, Eric Adams, after 26 September 2024, the date Adams was indicted on federal corruption charges. The charges were later dropped by the Trump administration.
Among the revoked orders was a directive barring mayoral staff from boycotting or disinvesting from Israel, while framing the policy as protecting religious freedom. Mamdani’s office said the move was intended to give the new administration a “fresh start”.
The mayor later said he would reissue some orders, including the Office to Combat Antisemitism, which Adams created last year.
The public ceremony followed a private swearing-in shortly after midnight in a disused subway station. Mamdani was flanked by New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, and his wife, Rama Duwaji, a 28-year-old animator and illustrator.
Later, on the steps of City Hall in freezing January conditions, Mamdani was introduced by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic congresswoman and fellow democratic socialist. She said New Yorkers had chosen “courage over fear” and prosperity “for the many over spoils for the few”.
Mamdani was then formally sworn in by Bernie Sanders, the independent Vermont senator whose 2016 presidential run helped popularise the affordability agenda now central to Mamdani’s platform.
Sanders said Mamdani was taking office at a time marked by division and injustice, and called for a government that serves everyone, not only the wealthy. He described Mamdani’s victory as “the biggest political upset in modern American history”.
Mamdani now faces one of the most demanding jobs in American politics. His agenda includes free childcare, fare-free buses, a rent freeze affecting about one million households, and a pilot scheme for city-run grocery shops.
The estimated cost of these proposals, around $10bn, presents a major challenge. Mamdani has promised to raise taxes on wealthy residents and corporations, but will need backing from the state government in Albany, led by Governor Kathy Hochul, who faces re-election next year.
Relations with the White House may also prove difficult. Donald Trump has labelled Mamdani a “communist” and threatened to withhold federal funding, though the two struck a more conciliatory tone during a recent meeting. “I want him to do a great job,” Trump said.
Mamdani also faces concern from some Jewish New Yorkers over his criticism of Israel’s government and his past reluctance to distance himself from the slogan “from the river to the sea”. He has since said he will no longer use the phrase.
Those sensitivities came into sharper focus during the transition, when his director of appointments, Cat da Costa, resigned after past antisemitic tweets resurfaced. The transition team described the episode as an “unacceptable oversight”.
Mamdani has sought to ease tensions by keeping the city’s police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, in her post, signalling continuity on policing and avoiding the departure of a senior Jewish official.
New York mayors are often judged on basic services, from rubbish collection and rat control to potholes and public transport. Adams pointed to falling crime during his tenure, with 301 homicides recorded in 2025, down from the previous year.
As mayor, Mamdani and Duwaji will move from their one-bedroom, rent-stabilised flat in Astoria, Queens, to Gracie Mansion, the official mayoral residence on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
Before leaving office, Adams offered a warning. The 18th-century mansion, he said, is haunted. “It’s a friendly ghost, as long as you’re doing right by the city.”
