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By Jasmine Laws
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Zohran Mamdani gave his first message to New York City after becoming mayor just after midnight on Thursday.
In his speech, which he gave at a historic, decommissioned subway station in Manhattan, Mamdani said: "This is truly the honor and privilege of a lifetime."
The New York City mayor, who is also the first Muslim leader of America’s biggest city, also wrote in a post, announcing the account as his official page as mayor: "Welcome to a new era for NYC."
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Why It Matters
Mamdani has begun his tenure with a notable amount of support from New York City—a Siena College poll found 61 percent of New York City voters viewed him favorably compared to 23 percent who said they view him unfavorably.
In addition to being the city's first Muslim mayor, Mamdani is also its first of South Asian descent, the first to be born in Africa, and the youngest in generations, at age 34.
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What To Know
Mamdani also appointed his new Department of Transportation commissioner, Mike Flynn, during his speech, after saying the old subway station was a "testament to the importance of public transit to the vitality, the health and the legacy of our city."
After Flynn joined Mamdani in front of the crowd, the New York City mayor said: "It is an honor to have Mike here alongside me as we embark on an administration that will take seriously the responsibility and the opportunity we have to make this streetscape and the public transit of the city we call home the envy of the world."
He added that will "require someone who is experienced, who is fluent in the landscape as it is, who is ambitious and imaginative toward the landscape as it could be, and I can think of no better person than the man alongside me and I'm so proud to have him joining our administration as the next head of our DOT."
The new mayor then said, before smiling and heading up a flight of stairs: "Thank you all so much, now I will see you later."
Mamdani's administration has already been hard at work ahead of him officially becoming mayor. On the New York City's mayor's X account, his administration said it has already created an Office to Combat Antisemitism to "make fighting hate a policy priority."
Mamdani also said on X that his office has already "released the first-ever municipal report on our efforts to combat antisemitism," which he added was "bold" and "detailed," and "a blueprint for 2026."
What People Are Saying
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, wrote in a post on X: "I’m proud to be swearing in @ZohranKMamdani as Mayor of New York on January 1. Zohran and his supporters showed the world that when working people stand together, we can defeat the Democratic and Republican establishments, Trump and the Oligarchs. Best of luck to the new mayor."
Mamdani, wrote in a post on X on Thursday: "On December 14th, I sat across from 142 New Yorkers as they shared their concerns, their dreams, the leadership they long for from City Hall. Our campaign was built around listening to the people of New York, and we will govern in the same way. Tomorrow, we get to work."
What Happens Next
While Mamdani is already officially the city's mayor after taking an oath of office, there will be a grander public ceremony held at City Hall at 1 p.m. by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders.
There will also be a public block party later in the day on a stretch of Broadway known as the "Canyon of Heroes," famous for its ticker-tape parades.
This article contains reporting from The Associated Press.
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