Zohran Mamdani is sworn in as New York Metropolis’s 112th mayor by New York Legal professional Normal Letitia James, left, alongside his spouse Rama Duwaji, proper, within the former Metropolis Corridor subway station on January 1, 2026 in New York Metropolis.
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Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as New York Metropolis mayor within the first minutes of the New 12 months on the historic Metropolis Corridor subway station, along with his spouse Rama Duwaji standing by his aspect.
The oath, wherein he pledged to help the Structure of america and the legal guidelines of New York, was administered by New York State Legal professional Normal Letitia James.
“Completely happy New 12 months to New Yorkers, each inside this tunnel and above,” mentioned Mamdani, standing beneath a vaulted ceiling with the phrases Metropolis Corridor over his head. “That is really an honor and a privilege of a lifetime.”
Mamdani was a trailblazing candidate and is predicted by many in his metropolis of 8 million — some with hope, some with trepidation — to be a disruptive mayor.
The democratic socialist’s plans for his first day in workplace on Thursday nod to his politics and priorities, with out straying removed from his predecessors with a sober official midnight oath-taking adopted by a extra celebratory ceremony within the afternoon.
New York legislation spells out that four-year mayoral phrases begin on the January 1 after elections. To keep away from any ambiguity about who’s answerable for America’s most populous metropolis, it has change into a practice to carry a small swearing-in simply after midnight.
Mamdani selected the Outdated Metropolis Corridor subway cease, which was decommissioned in the course of the earlier century and is accessible only some instances a yr by way of guided excursions, as the location of his swearing in.
The subway website, based on Mamdani’s transition workforce, displays his “dedication to the working individuals who hold our metropolis working every single day.”
Mamdani, a 34-year-old former state lawmaker, promised a freeze on rents and free buses and childcare, constructing a marketing campaign round affordability points that some have seen as a path ahead for his Democratic Occasion across the nation forward of midterm elections.
Mamdani impressed a record-breaking turnout of greater than 2 million voters and took 50 %, practically 10 factors forward of Andrew Cuomo working as an unbiased and nicely forward of Republican Curtis Sliwa.
Legal professional Normal James was amongst his earliest distinguished backers. Through the first administration of President Donald Trump, James started investigating his enterprise practices in New York, leading to a choose discovering in 2024 that Trump fraudulently overstated his web price to dupe lenders.
The Trump administration has focused James throughout his second time period, accusing her of mortgage fraud.
Grant Reeher, a Syracuse College political science professor, mentioned James’s function within the inauguration would ship a message to core supporters that Mamdani is “going to be unbiased of the president.”
Inauguration of a brand new period
The Uganda-born Mamdani, who shall be New York Metropolis’s first Muslim mayor, has been a pointy critic of Trump on points reminiscent of immigration and mentioned his variations with the president have been quite a few after a heat White Home assembly.
However being sworn-in by the state legal professional normal might say extra about Mamdani’s political alliances than rivalries.
US President Donald Trump (R) shakes fingers with New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani as they meet within the Oval Workplace of the White Home in Washington, DC, on November 21, 2025.
Jim Watson | Afp | Getty Pictures
In 2014 Invoice de Blasio, whom Mamdani regards as the perfect New York Metropolis mayor of his lifetime, was sworn in privately by then-New York Legal professional Normal Eric Schneiderman initially of the primary of his two phrases.
Senator Bernie Sanders, a progressive, Brooklyn-born Vermont senator whom Mamdani calls his inspiration, presided over de Blasio’s public inauguration ceremony in 2018 and can play the same function for Mamdani.
Liberal Democratic U.S. Consultant Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez can be on the inauguration ceremony agenda.
Plans for Mamdani’s public inauguration embrace a ceremony on Metropolis Corridor’s steps and a program of music and speeches in entrance of 4,000 friends gathered in Metropolis Corridor Plaza.
As well as, tens of hundreds of individuals will have the ability to watch a livestream of what Mamdani’s workforce has dubbed the “Inauguration of a New Period” in free viewing areas arrange alongside Broadway.
Mamdani raised $2.6 million for the transition and celebrations from practically 30,000 contributors, greater than different mayors on document this century, each by the whole and single donations, based on official marketing campaign information that presents disclosures of inaugural bills starting with Michael Bloomberg’s first time period in 2001.
Sami Zaman, the proprietor of Astoria’s low-key Afghan restaurant Sami’s Kabab Home, the place Astoria resident Mamdani filmed a marketing campaign video with Sanders, was on the inaugural committee alongside filmmakers, writers and activists.
After changing into mayor, Mamdani will transfer from his one-bedroom Astoria house, protected against sharp value hikes by town rent-stabilization program, to Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York Metropolis mayors on Manhattan’s upscale Higher East Aspect.
Bankers and others in New York, the nation’s monetary capital, had expressed concern about Mamdani however since his election many have explored how you can work with him.
Town has had one other mayor related to democratic socialism, David Dinkins. Dinkins didn’t make a lot of his affiliation with the Democratic Socialists of America.
Throughout his 1990-1993 time period he overcame funds deficits and persuaded personal companies to stay in New York, based on metropolis archivists.
