New York City welcomed a new era on Thursday as Zohran Mamdani was publicly inaugurated as mayor in a historic, crowd-filled event that broke with traditional ceremonies. Tens of thousands of supporters gathered for a seven-block-long public celebration, chanting slogans like “tax the rich” while ringing in the new year with the city’s first 34-year-old democratic socialist mayor.

Unique Inauguration Ceremony

Mamdani first took the oath of office just after midnight on January 1, 2026, at the steps of the historic City Hall subway station, a space unused for passenger service since 1945. The oath was administered by New York State Attorney General Letitia James, with Mamdani’s wife Rama Duwaji holding a historic Quran borrowed from the New York Public Library, alongside another Quran belonging to his grandfather.

Later on in the day, a huge public inauguration at City Hall attracted a large number of people who filled the nearby streets even though the temperature was below freezing. Mayor-elect Mamdani was accompanied by City Comptroller Mark Levine and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams while national politicians such as Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez gave speeches presenting New York’s progressive agenda and its global influence.

“This is evidence that if the working class unites and fights the ultra-rich’s divide and rule tactics, they can achieve anything,” said Sanders at the time of the swearing-in.

Progressive Message and Unity

Mamdani, Levine, and Williams stressed that everybody living in New York has to be united and included, preaching in different languages, including English, Spanish, Hebrew, and Greek. Besides, the speakers of the three one-god faiths, namely Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, were also there.

Levine said, “Besides the one with the Quran, there is also one with the Christian Bible and one with the Hebrew Bible. It is a great honor for me to be a part of such a city where things like this happen.”” Mamdani echoed this sentiment, saying, “We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism… This government will foster solidarity and belong to more of its people than ever before.”

Taxing the Ultra-Wealthy

A central theme of the inauguration was economic fairness. Mamdani, Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez, and other prominent figures have been advocating for the super-rich and big companies to pay more taxes. Among the first steps proposed by Mamdani was the increase of corporate tax rate in New York City from 7.25% to 11.5% along with an additional tax of 2% per individual with an annual income of over $1 million if the state governor concurs.

“This movement came out of neighborhoods and workplaces often ignored by those in power,” Mamdani said. “Every corner of our five boroughs holds power—there is no nowhere and no one left behind.”

Immediate Action on Housing

Housing policy was a key focus of Mamdani’s campaign and inauguration. He pledged to freeze rent for the city’s rent-stabilized apartments, which make up roughly half of all NYC rental housing.

“Those in rent-stabilized homes will no longer dread the latest rent hike,” Mamdani declared. Hours after the inauguration, he announced a set of executive orders inside a Brooklyn rent-stabilized building, including:

• Creation of two city task forces: one to inventory city-owned land for potential housing development, and another to identify ways to spur new construction.
• Policies to protect tenants and penalize negligent landlords.
• A broader plan to expand affordable housing throughout the city.

Leila Bozorg, who is the Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning, said, “The housing crisis is the principal factor behind the affordability crisis. Protecting the tenants, confronting the evil landlords, and constructing more affordable houses are our foremost priorities. These targets are achievable with political will and resources, and Mayor Mamdani has committed himself to this area.”

A Historic and Inclusive Celebration

Mamdani’s inauguration was a very public event that mixed up a traditional ceremony and a party, which was open to public for the first time. It demonstrated his principles of being open, inviting, and caring towards the community. The fans waited for a long time just to watch the whole event, while the ceremony was also broadcasted on screens placed outside City Hall for the people unable to enter.The party was a sign of the government being more open and that the common people of New York City would take part actively in city ruling.

Mamdani’s taking of the office as mayor means a very daring agenda with housing, protection of tenants, economic equality, and the most important thing, inclusivity, being the major concerns of the future of New York City.