Zohran Mamdani has officially been sworn in as mayor of New York, making him the first Muslim and first person of South Asian descent to hold the position.
Mamdani’s swearing-in took place Thursday moments into the new year at a mostly closed gathering in a historic subway station beneath City Hall. New York Attorney General Letitia James administered the oath, which Mamdani took with his hand on a Quran belonging to his grandparents.
A public ceremony was set for Thursday afternoon on the steps of City Hall, where U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is to deliver opening remarks and Sen. Bernie Sanders will administer the oath of office.
“This inauguration is a celebration of the movement we built, the mandate we won, and the city we are prepared to lead,” Mamdani said in a statement ahead of his inauguration festivities. “Working New Yorkers are at the heart of our agenda and we invite them to join us as we welcome this new era of politics to City Hall.”
The 34-year-old assemblymember and democratic socialist upended politics in 2025, from polling at just 1% at the start of his campaign to clinching the Democratic nomination in July and going on to win the November general election. On both occasions, he comfortably beat former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the establishment heavyweight who ran as an independent after losing the primary.
Mamdani campaigned on a platform of affordability that included free and fast buses, freezing the rent for all stabilized tenants, building affordable housing and combating inflation. The millennial mayor’s campaign leaned on social media videos — some of which were filmed in different languages spoken in the city — and one of the largest field operations in the city’s history.
Opponents and some other political observers have questioned whether the city will be able to afford the price tag to fulfill Mamdani’s ambitious agenda. He says he plans to pay for it by getting lawmakers to increase the state’s corporate tax rate and the income tax for New Yorkers earning more than $1 million. Before moving to Queens at the age of 7, Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, to parents Mahmood Mamdani, a Columbia University professor who specializes in colonialism, and Mira Nair, an acclaimed director and producer. Mamdani and Rama Duwaji, his artist wife and first lady, will move from their rent-stabilized apartment in Queens into Gracie Mansion this month.
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter and producer for MS NOW. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian. Recommended
