Zohran Mamdani Sworn in as NYC Mayor in Historic Subway Station Ceremony

Historic Inauguration

• 🏙️ Zohran Mamdani made history by being sworn in as New York City's first Muslim, first South Asian, and first African-born mayor.
• ⏳ At 34, he is also the city's youngest mayor in over a century.
• 🕌 Mamdani used two Qur'ans for his oath, including one that belonged to his grandfather, marking the first time Islam's holy text was used in a NYC mayoral inauguration.

Significance of the Location

• 🚇 The private swearing-in ceremony took place at midnight on New Year's Eve in a decommissioned subway station below City Hall.
• 💡 This location was chosen to highlight the importance of public transit to the city's vitality, health, and legacy.
• 🏛️ The old City Hall station, built in 1905 and decommissioned in the 1940s, remains beautifully intact in its original form.

Campaign and Advisers

• 🤝 Andrew Epstein, Mamdani's communications director and now adviser, discussed the significance of the private ceremony.
• 📈 Epstein was a key figure in steering Mamdani's longshot campaign for mayor.

Inauguration Details

• 📜 New York Attorney General Tish James administered the oath of office.
• 💰 Mayor Mamdani paid $9 in cash to the clerk, a symbolic fee that was once 25 cents.
• 📚 The clerk maintains physical bound books where every mayor since the early 19th century has signed their name.

Public Ceremony

• 📢 Later on Thursday afternoon, Senator Bernie Sanders swore Mamdani in again at a large public ceremony at City Hall.
• 🥶 The public ceremony took place in freezing weather and drew tens of thousands of people.