New York Mayor Mamdani sworn in with progressive agenda ahead

Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as New York City’s mayor in the first minutes of the New Year on Thursday at the historic City Hall subway station, with his wife Rama Duwaji standing by his side.

Mamdani, a democratic socialist who was elected last November, was a trailblazing candidate and is expected by many in the city of eight million – some with hope, some with trepidation – to be a disruptive mayor.

The official midnight oath-taking was to be followed by a more celebratory ceremony in the afternoon.

The oath, in which Mamdani pledged to support the US constitution and the laws of New York, was administered by New York State attorney-general Letitia James.

“Happy New Year to New Yorkers, both inside this tunnel and above,” said Mamdani, aged 34 and the city’s first Muslim mayor. “This is truly an honor and a privilege of a lifetime.”

New York law spells out that four-year mayoral terms start on the January 1 after elections. To avoid any ambiguity about who’s in charge of America’s most populous city, it has become a tradition to hold a small swearing-in just after midnight.

HISTORIC SITE

Mamdani chose the Old City Hall subway stop, which was decommissioned decades ago and is accessible only a few times a year through guided tours, as the site of his swearing-in. The venue, according to Mamdani’s transition team, reflects his “commitment to the working people who keep our city running every day.”

Mamdani, a former state lawmaker, promised a freeze on rents and free buses and childcare, building a campaign around affordability issues that some have seen as a path forward for the Democratic Party around the country ahead of this year’s midterm elections.

Dean Fuleihan, the incoming deputy mayor, told the Financial Times that Mamdani will move ahead with plans to increase taxes on millionaires to pay for his campaign promises and balance New York’s budget. He added that he doesn’t expect rich people to leave the city as a result of potentially higher taxes.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has said she opposes raising personal income taxes but is considering raising corporate taxes to pay for a potential budget shortfall amid federal cuts.

BACKING FROM ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Mamdani inspired a record-breaking turnout of more than two million voters and took 50 per cent of the vote in November, nearly 10 points ahead of Andrew Cuomo running as an independent and well ahead of Republican Curtis Sliwa.

Attorney-general James was among his earliest prominent backers. During the first administration of President Donald Trump, James began investigating his business practices in New York, resulting in a judge finding in 2024 that Trump fraudulently overstated his net worth to dupe lenders.

The Trump administration has targeted James during his second term, accusing her of mortgage fraud. James has denied wrongdoing.

Grant Reeher, a Syracuse University political science professor, said James’ role in the inauguration would send a message to core supporters that Mamdani is “going to be independent of the president.”

INAUGURATION OF A NEW ERA

The Uganda-born Mamdani has been a sharp critic of Trump on issues such as immigration and said his differences with the president were numerous after a warm White House meeting.

Plans for Mamdani’s public inauguration later on Thursday include a ceremony on City Hall’s steps and a program of music and speeches in front of 4,000 guests gathered in City Hall Plaza. In addition, people will be able to watch a livestream of what Mamdani’s team has dubbed the “Inauguration of a New Era” in free viewing areas set up along Broadway.

Senator Bernie Sanders, a progressive, Brooklyn-born Vermont senator whom Mamdani calls his inspiration, will preside over the ceremony. Liberal Democratic US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is also on the inauguration ceremony agenda.

Mamdani raised $2.6 million for the transition and celebrations from nearly 30,000 contributors, more than other mayors on record this century, both by the total and single donations, according to official campaign data that presents disclosures of inaugural expenses beginning with Michael Bloomberg’s first term in 2001.

As mayor, Mamdani will move from his one-bedroom Astoria apartment, protected from sharp price hikes by the city rent-stabilization program, to Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City mayors on Manhattan’s upscale Upper East Side.

Bankers and others in New York, the nation’s financial capital, had expressed concern about Mamdani, but since his election many have explored how to work with him. 

The city has had another mayor associated with democratic socialism, David Dinkins. Dinkins did not make much of his association with the Democratic Socialists of America. During his 1990-1993 term he overcame budget deficits and persuaded private businesses to remain in New York, according to city archivists.