What to know about New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's inauguration
- Zohran Mamdani will be publicly sworn in today as the 112th mayor of New York City. The democratic socialist is the city's first Muslim mayor and, at 34 years old, one of its youngest ever. He's made promises to freeze rent, eliminate bus fares and provide universal child care.
- Sen. Bernie Sanders will deliver the oath of office to Mamdani during a ceremony on the steps of City Hall starting at 1 p.m. The official transfer of power occurred at midnight, when Mamdani was sworn in by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
- CBS News New York will be streaming live coverage of Inauguration Day, including Mamdani's swearing-in and his inaugural address. City Comptroller Mark Levine and reelected Public Advocate Jumaane Williams will also take their oaths and deliver remarks.
- Mamdani's transition team is throwing an Inauguration Day block party in the Canyon of Heroes, a stretch of Broadway leading to City Hall Park that is famous for ticker-tape parades, with tens of thousands of New Yorkers expected to attend.
Mamdani sworn in during private ceremony
Mamdani was sworn in as mayor of New York City in a private midnight ceremony that was layered in symbolism.
Mamdani took his oath on a Quran rather than a Bible at the Old City Hall subway station, setting the tone for a historic new chapter in New York City leadership.
"This is truly the honor and the privilege of a lifetime," Mamdani said as he officially became the 112th mayor.
Mamdani said he chose to be sworn in on the historic Quran to honor the deep roots of Muslim communities in the city.
The oath was administered by New York Attorney General Letitia James at the long-closed Old City Hall station, one of New York's original 28 subway stops, a relic of the city's earliest ambitions for public transit.
Zohran Mamdani is sworn in as New York City's 112th mayor by New York Attorney General Letitia James, left, alongside his wife Rama Duwaji, right, in the former City Hall subway station on Jan. 1, 2026.
Amir Hamja-Pool / Getty Images / Amir Hamja for The New York Times
"A testament to the importance of public transit, to the vitality, the health, and the legacy of our city," Mamdani said.
Using the moment to underscore his transportation agenda, he also announced Michael Flynn as his Department of Transportation commissioner.
"Someone who's experienced, who is fluent in the landscape as it is, and who is ambitious and imaginative towards the landscape as it could be. And I can think of no better person than the man alongside me," Mamdani said.
The Mamdani administration
Updated 26m agoInauguration block party
Mamdani announced the "Inauguration of a New Era" block party in the Canyon of Heroes, the stretch of Broadway in Lower Manhattan that's famous for ticker-tape parades.
Mamdani's team anticipates tens of thousands of people will be able to attend the festivities on Broadway, from Liberty Street to Murray Street.
CBS News New York
The block party is accompanying the inauguration ceremony, with music, performances and interfaith elements, according to the mayor's team.
Mamdani said security will be tight at City Hall Plaza and along the block party route throughout the inauguration.
How Mamdani won
Zohran Mamdani won the 2025 New York City mayor's race with just over 50% of the vote in the November general election. He defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo — who won about 41% of the vote as an independent — and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
Mamdani's campaign centered around the cost of living energized a coalition of young and progressive voters, even with some critics questioning his experience and raising concerns about his views on Israel, which Cuomo's campaign zeroed in on.
Mamdani's affordability agenda, including a rent freeze and universal child care, first propelled him to victory in the Democratic primary, when he soundly defeated Cuomo for the party's nomination.
