Zohran Mamdani is sworn in as New York Metropolis’s 112th mayor by New York Legal professional Basic Letitia James, left, alongside his spouse Rama Duwaji, proper, within the former Metropolis Corridor subway station on January 1, 2026 in New York Metropolis.
Pool | Getty Pictures Information | Getty Pictures
Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as New York Metropolis mayor within the first minutes of the New Yr on the historic Metropolis Corridor subway station, along with his spouse Rama Duwaji standing by his aspect.
The oath, by which he pledged to help the Structure of the USA and the legal guidelines of New York, was administered by New York State Legal professional Basic Letitia James.
“Pleased New Yr 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 actually an honor and a privilege of a lifetime.”
Mamdani was a trailblazing candidate and is anticipated 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 in control of America’s most populous metropolis, it has grow to be a practice to carry a small swearing-in simply after midnight.
Mamdani selected the Previous Metropolis Corridor subway cease, which was decommissioned in the course of the earlier century and is accessible only some instances a 12 months by way of guided excursions, as the positioning of his swearing in.
The subway web site, in line with Mamdani’s transition group, displays his “dedication to the working individuals who maintain our metropolis working on daily basis.”
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 Celebration across the nation forward of midterm elections.
Mamdani impressed a record-breaking turnout of greater than 2 million voters and took 50 p.c, practically 10 factors forward of Andrew Cuomo working as an unbiased and nicely forward of Republican Curtis Sliwa.
Legal professional Basic James was amongst his earliest outstanding backers. Throughout 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 internet value 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 can be New York Metropolis’s first Muslim mayor, has been a pointy critic of Trump on points akin to 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 lawyer normal might say extra about Mamdani’s political alliances than rivalries.
US President Donald Trump (R) shakes arms 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 most effective New York Metropolis mayor of his lifetime, was sworn in privately by then-New York Legal professional Basic Eric Schneiderman at first 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 an identical function for Mamdani.
Liberal Democratic U.S. Consultant Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez can also 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 1000’s of individuals will be capable of watch a livestream of what Mamdani’s group 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 report this century, each by the entire and single donations, in line with 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 residence, 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 Facet.
Bankers and others in New York, the nation’s monetary capital, had expressed concern about Mamdani however since his election many have explored easy methods to 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, in line with metropolis archivists.
