Mamdani’s inauguration placed a new administration’s tone on display immediately, as he took office just after midnight and later returned for a larger public ceremony. The Democrat, sworn in as New York City’s first Muslim mayor, promised in his first speech to use government power to improve residents’ lives, framing the change as a direct continuation of campaign promises about affordability and public investment.
In the overnight ceremony, Mamdani was sworn in at a decommissioned subway station below City Hall after midnight, placing his hand on a Quran as he took the oath. Later that day, after working part of the night in his new office, Mamdani returned to City Hall in a taxi cab for a second, larger public inauguration.
During the daytime event, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders—one of Mamdani’s political heroes—administered the oath for a second time. Mamdani told the cheering crowd, “Beginning today, we will govern expansively and audaciously. We may not always succeed, but never will we be accused of lacking the courage to try.” He also said that City Hall would not hesitate to “use its power to improve New Yorkers’ lives,” in remarks that leaned into the idea that affordability should be the center of city government.
At the watch party on Broadway, just south of City Hall on a stretch known as the “Canyon of Heroes” for ticker-tape parades, crowds gathered despite the cold, with some watching on jumbotrons and others passing out hot cocoa and hand warmers. Ariel Segura, a 16-year-old Bronx resident who said he arrived hours earlier to get near the front, described feeling emotional about witnessing the moment but also urged follow-through, saying, “Now it’s time to hold him accountable.”
Mamdani’s public agenda, as reflected in the themes carried through the ceremony, emphasized government action aimed at working people dealing with high living costs. In his remarks, he referenced workers in steel-toed boots, halal cart vendors and cooks, and he said, “I was elected as a democratic socialist and I will govern as a democratic socialist,” adding that he would not abandon his principles for fear of being labeled “radical.” In comments before the oath, Sanders told the crowd that many of Mamdani’s aims— including raising taxes on the rich—were not radical, saying in a nation where housing affordability is at stake that such efforts are “the right and decent thing to do.”
The ceremonies combined civic and religious elements, with Imam Khalid Latif, director of the Islamic Center of New York City, delivering the invocation. Actor Mandy Patinkin, who recently hosted Mamdani to celebrate Hannukah, sang “Over the Rainbow” alongside children from an elementary school chorus, and poet Cornelius Eady read an original poem titled “Proof.” Mamdani was accompanied on stage by his wife, Rama Duwaji, and former mayors Eric Adams and Bill de Blasio were also in attendance.
After the inauguration, Mamdani moved quickly into the work of governing. He revoked multiple executive orders issued by the previous administration, orders that dated back to after Sept. 26, 2024, when federal authorities announced that former Mayor Eric Adams had been indicted on corruption charges—a case that the story said was later dismissed after intervention by the Trump administration. He also visited a Brooklyn apartment building to announce that he is revitalizing a city office dedicated to protecting tenants and creating two task forces focused on housing construction.
Throughout the day’s remarks, lawmakers and supporters argued that the new mayor’s agenda starts with affordability. In opening remarks to the crowd, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez praised New Yorkers for choosing “courage over fear” and said, “We have chosen prosperity for the many over spoils for the few.” As the inauguration unfolded, speakers also looked outward to the next political fight, including tensions with President Donald Trump over federal support and immigration.
During the mayoral race, Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from the city if Mamdani won, and the story said Trump mused about sending National Guard troops to New York. It also said Trump later invited the Democrat to the White House for what ended up being a cordial meeting in November. Several speakers at the inauguration criticized the Trump administration’s move to deport more immigrants and expressed hope that City Hall would serve as an ally to those the president has targeted, while Mamdani also faced skepticism and opposition from some members of the city’s Jewish community over criticisms of Israel’s government.
Mamdani, 34, was also presented as a historic figure beyond party politics: he is the first Muslim mayor of the city, the first mayor of South Asian descent, and the first to be born in Africa. The story said he was born in Kampala, Uganda, and moved to New York City when he was 7, becoming a U.S. citizen in 2018. It said he worked on Democratic political campaigns before winning a state Assembly seat in 2020 to represent a section of Queens, and that now he and his wife plan to leave their outer-borough rent-stabilized apartment to take up residence in the mayoral residence in Manhattan.
As he begins the job, Mamdani inherits a city with recent improvements alongside persistent affordability concerns. The story described violent crime as having dropped to pre-pandemic lows, with tourists back and unemployment returning to pre-COVID levels, while also noting deep worries about high prices and rising rents. In his speech, Mamdani acknowledged the everyday burdens of running the city—trash, snow, and rats—alongside the public expectation that he will be held responsible for subway delays and potholes. He said, “They want to know if the left can govern,” and that “we will do something that New Yorkers do better than anyone else: We will set an example for the world.”
Associated Press writer Jake Offenhartz contributed to this story.