New York City’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani was officially sworn in just after midnight in a private ceremony led by New York Attorney General Letitia James—because apparently, when you’re a socialist in New York, even becoming mayor has to be theatrical.
“This is truly the honor and the privilege of a lifetime,” Mamdani said during a brief speech following the ceremony, which took place early Thursday morning at the Old City Hall Station, a decommissioned subway stop steeped in history and symbolism.
The closed-door event was attended by Mamdani’s family and held underground at the historic station, which his transition team described as a symbol of the subway system being the “lifeblood of New York.” In his first remarks as mayor, Mamdani called the station a “testament to the importance of public transit to the vitality, the health and the legacy of our city.” Naturally, nothing says leadership like starting your term in an abandoned subway station at midnight.
Mamdani also announced his first major appointment, naming Mike Flynn as commissioner of the city’s Department of Transportation.
In a press release, the Mamdani transition team said the unusual timing and location were intentionally chosen to reflect the kind of city the mayor-elect says he wants to build—“a city built by and for New Yorkers.” According to the statement, the Old City Hall Station represents a past era when New York “dared to be both beautiful and build great things that would transform working peoples’ lives,” an ambition Mamdani says his administration intends to revive.
Ahead of the ceremony, Mamdani said that by taking his oath “from the station at the dawn of the New Year,” he felt humbled by the opportunity to lead millions of New Yorkers into what he described as “a new era of opportunity,” while carrying forward the city’s “legacy of greatness.”
According to his campaign, Mamdani used a Quran during the swearing-in, making him the first Muslim mayor in New York City history and the first mayor to be sworn in using a Quran.
The private ceremony was only the beginning. Mamdani will be publicly inaugurated Thursday afternoon at 1 p.m. on the steps of City Hall. The public swearing-in will be conducted by Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, following opening remarks from progressive ally Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez—because no progressive milestone would be complete without the full lineup.
While inauguration tickets are typically limited to about 4,000 attendees, Mamdani’s transition team says all New Yorkers will be invited to the ceremony and a block party immediately afterward.
Mamdani decisively defeated former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa in early November, capping off a rapid political rise that began with single-digit support when he launched his campaign in October 2024.
The new mayor closed the midnight ceremony on a light note, smiling and telling those in attendance, “Thank you all so much, now I will see you later,” before heading up a flight of stairs—literally and politically—into his new role.
Love him or question where New York is headed next, one thing is certain: the city has entered a new chapter, and New Yorkers will soon see exactly what kind of leadership comes with it.
