New York: Newly elected New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued a bold challenge to President Donald Trump on immigration, declaring that “to get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us.”
Speaking before a jubilant crowd at a packed Brooklyn theatre, Mamdani — the city’s first mayor of immigrant heritage — vowed that New York would remain a welcoming home for all. “A city led by an immigrant will always be welcoming to immigrants,” he said to roaring applause.
Addressing Trump directly, Mamdani added, “Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I’ve got four words for you: Turn the volume up.”
Moments later, Trump appeared to respond on Truth Social with a cryptic four-word post: “…AND SO IT BEGINS!”
The President, who has repeatedly labeled Mamdani a “Communist,” warned on the eve of the election that New York City would become “a Complete and Total Economic and Social Disaster” if Mamdani won — even threatening to cut off federal funding.
Casting his victory as a new direction for Democrats nationwide, Mamdani told supporters, “No longer will we have to open a history book for proof that Democrats can dare to be great.”
He reaffirmed his campaign pledges, promising measures to address New York’s affordability crisis — including free rapid bus service, universal childcare, rent freezes on select housing, and expanded public housing. “Every New Yorker will feel the change we are about to bring,” he said.
Quoting former Governor Mario Cuomo — father of Andrew Cuomo, whom Mamdani defeated — he remarked, “A great New Yorker once said that while you campaign in poetry, you govern in prose. If that must be true, let the prose we write still rhyme — and let us build a shining city for all.”
“In this moment of political darkness, New York will be the light,” he declared, joined on stage by his parents — acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair and Ugandan-Indian scholar Mahmood Mamdani.
Addressing criticisms he faced during the campaign, the 34-year-old said, “I am young, despite my best efforts to grow older. I am Muslim. I am a Democratic Socialist. And most damning of all, I refuse to apologise for any of this.”
Facing accusations of anti-Semitism linked to his stance on Israel, Mamdani struck a conciliatory tone: “We will build a City Hall that stands steadfast alongside Jewish New Yorkers and does not waver in the fight against anti-Semitism.”
He also pledged that “the more than one million Muslims in this city will know that they belong — not just in the five boroughs, but in the halls of power. No longer will New York be a city where you can traffic in Islamophobia and win an election.”
In his concession speech, Andrew Cuomo congratulated Mamdani, saying he wanted him “to succeed for the sake of the greatest city in the world” — though his remarks were met with boos from his supporters, which he quickly tried to quiet.
Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa also conceded, saying, “If he does well, we do well.” But he added a warning: if Mamdani “implements socialism or weakens the police,” he would become “the worst enemy.”
