In Lower Manhattan, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani gave a powerful inaugural speech. He promised that he would “not abandon” his principles or back down from the bold promises that helped him win the historic election to City Hall. Mamdani told thousands of supporters that his swearing-in was the start of “a new era” for working-class New Yorkers who feel left out of the city’s wealth.
The 34-year-old leader, who was the city’s first Muslim and first South Asian mayor, said he was elected as a democratic socialist and would run the city as one. He turned down advice to lower expectations on the day of his inauguration. Mamdani said that there would be “no compromise” on his main goals, which included freezing rents, making buses faster and free, and providing universal child care paid for by higher taxes on the rich.
Mamdani’s inauguration was the end of a dramatic rise that got people all over the country excited about the left in New York City. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont swore in the new mayor, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez praised Mamdani as a mayor who will put working people, immigrants, and families who can’t afford to live there at the center of his work.
Mamdani stressed throughout his speech that City Hall would “return the vast resources of this city to the workers who call it home.” He promised to change the way the government works from saying no to figuring out how to make things better and who didn’t believe him, “If you are a New Yorker, I am your mayor.” In addition, Mamdani promised to protect, celebrate, and never hide from the people he serves, even when they don’t agree with him.
