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AMY GOODMAN: Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani has been sworn in as the mayor of New York City. He was officially sworn in just after midnight on New Year’s Eve. He’s made history as New York’s first Muslim, first South Asian and first African-born mayor, and, at the age of 34, the city’s youngest mayor in more than a century. Ahead of a public ceremony that drew thousands of people in below-freezing weather, Mamdani was sworn in privately at midnight New Year’s Eve by New York Attorney General Tish James in a small ceremony in an old, decommissioned subway station below City Hall.
CROWD: Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Whoo! Happy New Year!
ATTORNEY GENERAL LETITIA JAMES: Good evening, everyone, and happy new year to all of you. And I can’t think of a better way to usher in 2026 than to be amongst family and friends and to inaugurate the man who will bring about a new era of progress, promise and prosperity for New York City.
AMY GOODMAN: As the New York Attorney General Tish James swore in Zohran Mamdani, he placed his hand on top of two Qur’ans held by his wife, the Syrian American artist Rama Duwaji, including one that belonged to his grandfather, making him the first New York City mayor to use Islam’s holy text at his inauguration. This is Mayor Mamdani.
MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI: Thank you so much for everyone for being here. Happy New Year to New Yorkers, both inside this tunnel and above. And I cannot wait to see everyone tomorrow as we begin our term. This is truly the honor and the privilege of a lifetime. And after just having taken my oath to become the mayor of the city of New York, I do so also here in the old City Hall subway station, a testament to the importance of public transit to the vitality, the health and the legacy of our city.
AMY GOODMAN: That was just after midnight on January 1st. Later, on Thursday afternoon, Senator Bernie Sanders swore in Zohran Mamdani again in a huge public ceremony at City Hall in the freezing weather. We’ll hear more of that soon.
But first, this is Andrew Epstein, one of the key people who helped steer Mayor Mamdani’s long-shot campaign, who talked to Democracy Now! just before he was sworn in the second time on the steps of City Hall about the significance of Mayor Mamdani’s midnight swearing-in.
ANDREW EPSTEIN: My name is Andrew Epstein. I was the communications director and, later, the creative director on Zohran’s campaign for mayor. I’m now an adviser.
And last night, we were just below where we are right now, in the old City Hall station, built in 1905, decommissioned in the 1940s when Fiorello La Guardia was mayor, because the trains got longer and the platform was too short. But it remains beautifully intact in its original form.
Last night, the small number of guests and reporters were brought downstairs, waited on the platform, and a 6 train — now, this is the station where the 6 train typically turns around. But a 6 train pulled in. First, Mira Nair and Mahmood Mamdani and the families stepped off the first car on the train.
AMY GOODMAN: Mamdani’s mother and father.
ANDREW EPSTEIN: Mamdani’s mother and father. And —
AMY GOODMAN: The great filmmaker and —
ANDREW EPSTEIN: Absolutely.
AMY GOODMAN: — the Colombian professor.
ANDREW EPSTEIN: Absolutely right, as well as the first lady Rama Duwaji’s parents, their guests, as well, stepped off of the first train. And then the next one pulled up, pulled up a little farther, and off stepped then the mayor-elect and his wife Rama. They walked up under the arch that says City Hall station. And at midnight, Attorney General Tish James administered the oath of office.
And then, Zohran, the mayor, had to pay his $9 in cash to the clerk of the city and sign his name into the book. And I had a great conversation with the clerk. He has physical bound books where every single mayor, going back to the early 19th century, has signed their name, because in the — before the days of photo ID, you know, you matched the signature. How are you going to prove someone is who they are? So, he actually is in possession of these bound volumes. We have the 21st-century one, so it had Michael Bloomberg and Bill de Blasio and Eric Adams. In his office, he has 20th century, 19th century and so on.
AMY GOODMAN: Why $9?
ANDREW EPSTEIN: That’s a good question. It was 25 cents until this century, and then, you know, they thought maybe inflation meant it a little bit more now.
AMY GOODMAN: That was Andrew Epstein, the communications director and, later, creative director on Zohran Mamdani’s campaign for mayor. He’s now an adviser.
When we come back, we’ll hear more from Friday’s historic — from Thursday’s historic inauguration ceremony on the steps of City Hall, where thousands braved the freezing cold to participate. Stay with us.
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AMY GOODMAN: “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” performed by Mandy Patinkin and PS22 Chorus of Staten Island students yesterday at Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s inauguration, New Year’s Day on the steps of City Hall. The song was written by the blacklisted lyricist Yip Harburg. See our December 25th show on The Wizard of Oz, where the song came from, about its significance.
