Sen. Bernie Sanders, administers the oath of office to Mayor Zohran Mamdani as Rama Duwaji holds the Quran, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
Zohran Mamdani on Thursday scripted history by becoming the first Muslim, Indian-origin, and African-born person to be inaugurated as the Mayor of New York City.
On Thursday afternoon, his ceremonial swearing-in ceremony was held on the steps of the historic New York City Hall.
Mamdani takes yellow cab for swearing-in
The democratic socialist who won the Mayoral election in November arrived at the City Hall for the inauguration, accompanied by his wife, Rama Duwaji, in a yellow cab.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani, left, and his wife Rama Duwaji, arrive for Mamdani’s public swearing-in ceremony on the steps of City Hall, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
“My fellow New Yorkers, today begins a new era,” Mamdani said before he took the oath. “I stand before you, moved by the privilege of taking this sacred oath. Humbled by the faith that you have placed in me.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders, administers the oath of office to Mayor Zohran Mamdani as Rama Duwaji holds the Quran, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
Sanders administers oath of office to Mamdani
Fellow democratic socialist, US Senator Bernie Sanders, delivered the oath of office to Mamdani during the ceremony on the steps of City Hall.
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“I’m here mostly to thank the people of New York City. At a time in our country’s history when we are seeing too much hatred, too much divisiveness and too much injustice, thank you for electing Zohran Mamdani as your mayor,” Sanders said in his address ahead of the swearing in.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Speaks during a public swearing-in ceremony for Mayor Zohran Mamdani on the steps of City Hall, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
Earlier, Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who represents New York’s 14th Congressional District, welcomed the crowd to Mamdani’s inauguration.
“We gather here today to celebrate the beginning of his leadership,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
New York Attorney General Letitia James swore in the 34-year-old at a decommissioned subway station below City Hall.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, left, administers the oath of office to mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, center, as his wife Rama Duwaji looks on, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Mamdani chose the subway station for his swearing in to reflect his commitment to New York workers who keep the city running each day, his transition team said.
The station was decommissioned decades ago and is accessible only a few times a year through guided tours.
Mamdani’s election promises
In a campaign that helped make “affordability” a buzzword across the political spectrum, the democratic socialist promised to bring transformative change with policies intended to lower the cost of living in one of the world’s most expensive cities.
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His platform included free child care, free buses, a rent freeze for about 1 million households, and a pilot of city-run grocery stores.
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Sen. Bernie Sanders, administers the oath of office to Mayor Zohran Mamdani as Rama Duwaji holds the Quran, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) 
