Overview
- He was sworn in shortly after midnight in a decommissioned subway station beneath City Hall by New York Attorney General Letitia James in a private ceremony that was broadcast.
- A larger public inauguration is planned for January 1 at midday in front of City Hall, led by Senator Bernie Sanders, with tens of thousands expected and a street festival scheduled.
- Mamdani has outlined an affordability agenda that includes a rent freeze for more than one million apartments, 200,000 affordable homes, free childcare and buses, and public supermarkets funded by higher taxes on the wealthy and businesses.
- Key elements of the plan could be slowed or blocked by committees reportedly staffed by allies of outgoing Mayor Eric Adams, and implementation details remain unclear.
- His early political landscape is defined by a tense public dynamic with President Trump despite a cordial November meeting, and by a staff resignation over past antisemitic tweets as he works to broaden support.