Mamdani slams Trump in first speech as New York Mayor, vows to help those ‘betrayed by established order’

In his first speech after being sworn in as New York City’s mayor on Thursday (Jan 1), Zohran Kwame Mamdani vowed to help those “betrayed by the established order”, in an attack directed towards Republicans. He said that he would govern New York City “expansively and audaciously”. He reassured New Yorkers, as thousands gathered outside City Hall, that he would carry out his agenda of affordability, adding that he would refuse to “reset expectations” for what government should deliver for the working class and the unprotected.

“They want to know if the left can govern. They want to know if the struggles that afflict them can be solved,” the 34-year-old Democrat said outside City Hall. “We will do something that New Yorkers do better than anyone else: we will set an example for the world.”

“Beginning today, we will govern expansively and audaciously,” Mamdani said in his 24-minute-long speech.

Mamdani, the first Muslim mayor of New York, pledged help those “betrayed by the established order”, highlighting the issues of cost-of-living. He also vowed to protect immigrant communities, who are currently facing the threat of deportation under US President Donald Trump’s administration.

His left-wing allies Senator Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also addressed the crowd. “Thank you for giving us, from coast to coast, the hope and the vision that we can create government that works for all, not just the wealthy and the few,” Sanders said. During his speech, the crowd erupted in chants of “tax the rich”.

The Democrat took his oath of office at an abandoned subway stop under City Hall just after midnight to take the helm of the United States’ largest city. Mamdani took the oath with his hand on the Quran, becoming the first mayor in the city’s history to do so, according to The New York Times. His oath-taking was performed by New York Attorney General Letitia James. The public event had an attendance of 4,000 ticketed guests.