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Zohran Mamdani became mayor of New York City just after midnight Thursday, taking the oath of office at a historic, decommissioned subway station in Manhattan.
Mamdani, a Democrat, was sworn in as the first Muslim leader of America’s biggest city, placing his hand on a Qur’an as he took his oath.
“This is truly the honor and the privilege of a lifetime,” Mamdani said in a brief speech.
The private ceremony, administered by New York Attorney General Letitia James, a political ally, took place at the old City Hall station, one of the city’s original subway stops that is known for its stunning arched ceilings.
In Mamdani’s first remarks as mayor, he said the old subway station was a “testament to the importance of public transit to the vitality, the health and the legacy of our city” as he announced the appointment of his new Department of Transportation commissioner, Mike Flynn.
Zohran Mamdani is about to enter his first full year as Mayor of New York City. Many New Yorkers are excited for the changes he has promised to bring to the city, but others are skeptical of his brand of socialism.
The new mayor then closed by saying, “Thank you all so much, now I will see you later,” before heading up a flight of stairs.
Mamdani will be sworn in again, in grander style, in a public ceremony at New York’s city hall at 1 p.m. ET by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, one of the mayor’s political heroes. That will be followed by what his office is billing as a public block party on a stretch of Broadway known as the “Canyon of Heroes,” famous for its ticker-tape parades.
