New York Democrat Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as mayor today, New Year’s Day, after being elected in November, with his wife Rama Dowajy by his side. During a brief ceremony held at a historic subway station in Manhattan, the 34-year-old Mamdani took the oath before New York Attorney General Letitia James, an enemy of American President Donald Trump and enthusiastic supporter of the new mayor.
The first Muslim mayor of New York City was sworn in on the Quran, which was held by his artist wife Dowajy. The copy used in the inauguration belonged to African American historian, collector and activist from Harlem, Arthur Schomburg, who is considered one of the founders of Black History.
“Happy New Year to New Yorkers, both inside this tunnel and above it,” said Mamdani, adding that this is “truly an honor and a lifetime privilege.”
Zohran Mamdani becomes the 112th mayor of New York City.
Mamdani has been sworn in as the first Muslim leader of America’s biggest city, placing his hand on a Quran as he took his oath.
Congratulations NYC pic.twitter.com/6wpsHk7HuY https://t.co/PHp3WgaZfS
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) January 1, 2026
Zohran Mamdani: Why he chose Old City Hall station for his swearing-in
Mamdani explained why he chose to hold his swearing-in at the Old City Hall station, with its elegant arches and colorful stained glass dating from 1904, saying it represents in his eyes “a city that dared to be beautiful” while being “capable of transforming the lives of the working class.”
Under New York law, the city mayor’s term begins on January 1st after the election. To ensure there is no doubt about who leads America’s most populous city, it is tradition to hold a small mayoral swearing-in ceremony immediately after midnight.
Later today, at 1:00 PM (local time, 8:00 PM Greek time), Mamdani’s official inauguration ceremony will take place on the steps of City Hall, presided over by Bernie Sanders, the Brooklyn-born Democratic progressive senator from Vermont. The new New York mayor has stated that Sanders is one of his political heroes.
Approximately 4,000 guests are expected in the park in front of New York City Hall to watch the speeches and musical events. Additionally, tens of thousands of people will be able to watch the “Inauguration of a new era,” as Mamdani’s team has characterized it, live through screens placed along Broadway.
Mamdani raised $2.6 million to fund the power transition and today’s celebrations from nearly 30,000 donors. This is the largest amount ever raised for this purpose by any mayor, according to official records that began being collected from Michael Bloomberg’s first term in 2001.
After his inauguration, Mamdani will move from his one-bedroom apartment in Astoria, which is protected from steep price increases thanks to the city’s rent stabilization program, to Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York mayors in the upscale Upper East Side area of Manhattan.
The Uganda-born son of immigrants, Mamdani was elected on a platform completely opposite to American President Donald Trump’s agenda on almost all issues, from the economy to immigration. However, the two men had an unexpectedly warm meeting at the White House after Mamdani’s election.
But it’s still not certain that Trump won’t implement the threats he made during the campaign, such as sending the National Guard to New York or cutting federal funding to the city.
Mamdani, who has limited political experience, has a lot of work to do to implement his campaign promises, which have created high expectations among New Yorkers.
Just months before November’s midterm elections, Democrats will closely watch both his successes and failures as they try to find inspiration to oppose Trump.
His predecessor Eric Adams, who was charged with corruption, has complicated an emblematic measure that Mamdani promotes – freezing rents for more than one million apartments – by appointing several of his close associates to the committee responsible for making decisions on the matter.
It’s also unclear how Mamdani plans to implement his other campaign promises – such as building 200,000 affordable housing units, free daycare for all, public supermarkets with low prices, and free buses. However, he must not delay clarifying their implementation methods in order to have time to put them into effect.
