On New Year’s Day, Jan. 1 2026, just after midnight, New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani was privately inaugurated at the Old City Hall Station alongside his wife, artist Rama Duwaji, and New York State Attorney General Letitia James.
Mamdani is the first New York mayor to swear in on a Quran, and James is the first woman of color to administer the oath. Mamdani bears the titles of the first South Asian, Muslim mayor, the first immigrant to hold office since 1972 and the second-youngest mayor at age 34.
Mamdani’s campaign was centered around affordability, promising free child care, free city bus service, and a rent freeze for those in rent stabilized apartments. He promised to govern in favor of supporting the
working class as opposed to the wealthy.
After eight days in office, Mamdani granted affordable childcare for nearly one hundred thousand children statewide. This includes universal Pre-Kindergarten, Two-Care (entirely free child care for two year olds, the Governor committing to fully fund the first two years of implementation), new community programs and expanded accessibility. New York families with three to four year olds can officially apply for free child care.
Mamdani, having been informed about the city’s $12 billion budget, signed his twelfth executive order which orders every agency to identify a chief savings officer as the city prepares for a legally mandated balanced preliminary budget, in effect Feb. 17.
The mayor has also addressed an incident at Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters, the base of the Chabad Lubavitch movement which is headed and driven as an orthodox Jewish motion. A man repeatedly crashed his car into the building, putting surrounding synagogues and various places of worship into high alert.
The new mayor has also been active about social issues, even from his first day. Mamdani declared that anti semitism has no place in New York City. Relieved that there were no injuries as of the incident, the mayor announced his solidarity with the Crown Heights Jewish Community.
Mamdani’s democratic-socialist approach has connected with many New Yorkers and Americans nationwide. He holds the status as a man of many “firsts” for New York mayor. This reputation, along with his pro-immigrant beliefs, directly oppose current immigration policies and beliefs of the Trump administration along with its supporters.
