By Anthony Izaguirre | Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Zohran Mamdani became mayor of New York City on Thursday, taking over one of the most unrelenting jobs in American politics as one of the country’s most-watched politicians.
Mamdani, a Democrat, was sworn in at a decommissioned subway station below City Hall just after midnight, placing his hand on a Quran as he took his oath as the city’s first Muslim mayor.
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After working part of the night in his new office, Mamdani then returned to City Hall in a taxi cab around midday Thursday for a grander public inauguration where U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, one of the mayor’s political heroes, administered the oath for a second time.
“Today begins a new era,” Mamdani said after taking the oath.
New Yorkers turned out in the frigid cold for an inauguration viewing party just south of City Hall on a stretch of Broadway known as the “Canyon of Heroes,” famous for its ticker-tape parades.
Throughout the ceremony, speakers hit on the theme that carried Mamdani to victory in the election: Devotion to using government power to lift up the millions of people who struggle with the city’s high cost of living.
Sanders insisted that doing so — partly by raising taxes on the rich — wouldn’t be radical.
“In the richest country in the history of the world, making sure that people can live in affordable housing is not radical,” he told the crowd. “It is the right and decent thing to do.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 01: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) swears in Zohran Mamdani as New York City mayor as Mamdani's wife Rama Duwaji looks on at City Hall Thursday January 1, 2026 in New York, NY. Mamdani has added a “block party” to the official inauguration events to allow thousands of New Yorkers to take part. Mamdani was officially sworn in at midnight by New York Attorney General Letitia James at the Old City Hall subway station in a private ceremony. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 01: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) swears in Zohran Mamdani as New York City mayor as Mamdani's wife Rama Duwaji looks on at City Hall Thursday January 1, 2026 in New York, NY. Mamdani has added a “block party” to the official inauguration events to allow thousands of New Yorkers to take part. Mamdani was officially sworn in at midnight by New York Attorney General Letitia James at the Old City Hall subway station in a private ceremony. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)From left, former New York Mayor Eric Adams, Chirlane McCray and former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio attend a public swearing-in ceremony for Mayor Zohran Mamdani on the steps of City Hall, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 01: New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji attend his ceremonial inauguration as mayor at City Hall by Thursday January 1, 2026 in New York City. Mamdani has added a “block party” to the official inauguration events to allow thousands of New Yorkers to take part. Mamdani was officially sworn in at midnight by New York Attorney General Letitia James at the Old City Hall subway station in a private ceremony. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. speaks before a swearing-in ceremony for Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 01: New Yorkers gather at City Hall for the ceremonial swearing in of Zohran Mamdani as New York City’s 112th mayor on Thursday January 1, 2026. Mamdani has added a “block party” to the official inauguration events to allow thousands of New Yorkers to take part. Mamdani was officially sworn in at midnight by New York Attorney General Letitia James at the Old City Hall subway station in a private ceremony. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)New York Attorney General Letitia James, left, prepare to administer the oath of office to mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani takes the oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony in the Old City Hall subway station, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, center, arrives with his wife Rama Duwaji for a swearing-in ceremony, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) New York Attorney General Letitia James left, prepares to administer the oath of office to mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani as Rama Duwaji, looks on, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) New York Attorney General Letitia James, left, administers the oath of office to mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, center, as his wife Rama Duwaji looks on, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 01: New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji smile as confetti falls after his ceremonial inauguration as mayor at City Hall Thursday January 1, 2026 in New York, NY. Mamdani has added a “block party” to the official inauguration events to allow thousands of New Yorkers to take part. Mamdani was officially sworn in at midnight by New York Attorney General Letitia James at the Old City Hall subway station in a private ceremony. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)Show Caption1 of 12NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 01: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) swears in Zohran Mamdani as New York City mayor as Mamdani's wife Rama Duwaji looks on at City Hall Thursday January 1, 2026 in New York, NY. Mamdani has added a “block party” to the official inauguration events to allow thousands of New Yorkers to take part. Mamdani was officially sworn in at midnight by New York Attorney General Letitia James at the Old City Hall subway station in a private ceremony. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)ExpandIn opening remarks, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Mamdani would be a mayor dedicated to the working class.
“It is the people of New York who have chosen historic, ambitious leadership in response to untenable and unprecedented times. New York, we have chosen courage over fear. We have chosen prosperity for the many over spoils for the few,” she said.
Mamdani was accompanied on the stage by his wife, Rama Duwaji. The previous mayor, Eric Adams, was in attendance, sitting near another former mayor, Bill de Blasio.
Actor Mandy Patinkin, who recently hosted Mamdani to celebrate Hannukah, sang “Over the Rainbow” with children from an elementary school chorus. The invocation was given by Imam Khalid Latif, the director of the Islamic Center of New York City. Poet Cornelius Eady read an original poem called “Proof.”
In addition to being the city’s first Muslim mayor, Mamdani is also its first of South Asian descent and the first to be born in Africa. At 34, Mamdani is also the city’s youngest mayor in generations.
In a campaign that helped make “affordability” a buzzword across the political spectrum, the democratic socialist promised to bring transformative change with policies intended to lower the cost of living in one of the world’s most expensive cities. His platform included free child care, free buses, a rent freeze for about 1 million households, and a pilot of city-run grocery stores.
But he will also have to face other responsibilities: handling trash and snow and rats, while getting blamed for subway delays and potholes.
Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, the son of filmmaker Mira Nair and Mahmood Mamdani, an academic and author. His family moved to New York City when he was 7, with Mamdani growing up in a post-9/11 city where Muslims didn’t always feel welcome. He became an American citizen in 2018.
He worked on political campaigns for Democratic candidates in the city before he sought public office himself, winning a state Assembly seat in 2020 to represent a section of Queens.
Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji, are departing their one-bedroom, rent stabilized apartment in the outer-borough to take up residence in the stately mayoral residence in Manhattan.
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Yet deep concerns remain about high prices and rising rents in the city.
He’ll also have to deal with Republican President Donald Trump.
During the mayoral race, Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from the city if Mamdani won and mused about sending National Guard troops to the city.
But Trump surprised supporters and foes alike by inviting the Democrat to the White House for what ended up being a cordial meeting in November.
“I want him to do a great job and will help him do a great job,” Trump said.
Still, tensions between the two leaders are almost certain to resurface, given their deep policy disagreements, particularly over immigration.
Several speakers at Thursday’s inauguration criticized the Trump administration’s move to deport more immigrants and expressed hope that Mamdani’s City Hall would be an ally to those the president has targeted.
Mamdani also faces skepticism and opposition from some members of the city’s Jewish community over his criticisms of Israel’s government.
The new mayor and his team have spent the weeks since his election victory preparing for the transition, surrounding Mamdani with seasoned hands who have worked inside or alongside city government.
That included persuading the city’s police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, to remain in her position — a move that helped calm fears in the business community that the administration might be planning radical changes in policing strategy.
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