Socialist Zohran Mamdani became mayor of New York City just after midnight Thursday, taking the oath of office as he placed his hand on the Islamic Quran in a private ceremony.
In doing so Mamdani, a Democrat, was confirmed as the first Muslim leader of America’s biggest city.
“This is truly the honor and the privilege of a lifetime,” the 34-year-old said in a brief speech, AP reports.
The strictly invitation-only gathering, overseen 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 known for its stunning arched ceilings.
Mamdani’s wife, the artist Rama Duwaji, held out the Quran over which Mamdani took his oath of office.
His parents, filmmaker Mira Nair and Mahmood Mamdani, a professor at Columbia University, were also in attendance.
In Mamdani’s first remarks as mayor, AP reports 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.
The newly minted mayor closed the event by offering these words: “Thank you all so much, now I will see you later,” he reportedly said with a smile before heading up a flight of stairs.
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, center, arrives with his wife Rama Duwaji for a swearing-in ceremony as his parents Mira Nair, right, and Mahmood Mamdani, look on, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
AP further reports the immigrant from Uganda will be sworn in again, in much grander style, in a public ceremony at City Hall at 1 p.m. by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, one of the mayor’s confessed 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.
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