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Zohran Mamdani hailed "a new era" for New York on Thursday, promising in his inaugural address to deliver on the ambitious agenda that electrified progressives in the city and saw him defeat the political establishment in both the Democratic primary and the general election last year. Addressing thousands of supporters who braved freezing temperatures to attend the ceremony at City Hall, Mamdani vowed to "govern expansively and audaciously" for residents. "I was elected as a democratic socialist, and I will govern as a democratic socialist. I will not abandon my principles for fear of being deemed radical," he said.
Mamdani was sworn in by Vermont independent Senator Bernie Sanders, who also spoke during the ceremony.
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New York City started 2026 with a new mayor, as democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani made history when he was sworn in as the city's first Muslim, first South Asian and first African-born leader, as well as the youngest in over a century. Ahead of a public ceremony on New Year's Day that drew tens of thousands of people in the freezing cold, Mamdani was privately sworn in at midnight by New York Attorney General Tish James in a small ceremony held at a decommissioned subway station below City Hall. He took his oath using two Qur'ans, including one that belonged to his grandfather. Andrew Epstein, one of Mamdani's closest advisers, spoke with Democracy Now! about the significance of the private ceremony and how it connected the new mayor to the history of the city he now leads.
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