New York City Hall | Zohran Mamdani put to the test of reality

(New York) 1^er January 2026, Zohran Mamdani will be sworn in twice rather than once as mayor of New York.

The new hope of the American left will first be sworn in at midnight during a ceremony presided over by the Attorney General of the State of New York, Letitia James, one of his first major supporters.

In the afternoon, he will perform the same ritual in front of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, his political role model, during a “block party” which is expected to attract 40,000 people on Broadway, from Liberty Street to City Hall.

“This inauguration is a celebration of the movement we built, the mandate we won and the city we are ready to lead,” said Zohran Mamdani, who pulled off one of the biggest political surprises of 2025 by winning the New York mayoralty with the help of an army of 100,000 volunteers. This city had never seen such mobilization.

At 34, the Kampala, Uganda, native will not become the youngest mayor of New York, or the first member of the Socialist Democrats of America or the first immigrant to hold the office, but he will be the first to take the oath of office with his left hand on the Koran.

As soon as he does, he will be confronted with the test of reality. He will be responsible not only for garbage collection and street snow removal, but also for cracking down on crime and managing public schools, among other things.

And he will have to fulfill his big electoral promise: to make New York “affordable”.

Between pragmatism and idealism

Will he succeed? It is obviously too early to tell. But the transition period between his election on November 4 and his inauguration offers indications of how this inexperienced politician intends to manage the city.

Regardless of his critics, who portray him as a “radical”, Zohran Mamdani is capable of pragmatism. He notably demonstrated this by convincing the current head of the NYPD, Jessica Tisch, to stay in her post. Considered an exceptional manager, this Jewish democrat maintains more moderate positions than those of her future boss, particularly on Israel, an essential subject in a city where a million Jews live.

“Do the designated mayor and I agree on everything? No, of course not. But after speaking with him, it is clear that we share general and crucial priorities,” she said, referring in particular to “the importance of public safety” and “the need to continue to reduce crime.”

Another sign of Zohran Mamdani’s pragmatism: his decision to entrust the position of first deputy mayor to Dean Fuleihan, a septuagenarian who held the same position under Mayor Bill de Blasio after having been his budget director.

But the designated mayor has not turned his back on the left. He notably relied on Lina Khan, star of antitrust law, to find ways to quickly reduce costs for New Yorkers.

Because he knows that the realization of his three great promises will take some time.

As president of the Federal Trade Commission under Joe Biden, Lina Khan notably shook the GAFAM (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft).

A more achievable promise

But what can we say at this stage about Zohran Mamdani’s three big promises, namely freezing rents for around 2 million tenants, free buses and free daycare?

There is general agreement that free daycare is the most achievable promise of the three. New York State Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul, who will defend her post in November, said she was ready to fight to help New York’s next mayor establish such a system.

The promise of free buses, however, risks encountering skepticism from the president of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), Janno Lieber, whose opinion will be crucial.

And outgoing Mayor Eric Adams may have compromised the plan to freeze rents by recently appointing four new members likely to oppose it to the council that will decide this issue.

Before bowing out, Mayor Adams, whose reputation is tarnished by the numerous scandals which punctuated his only mandate, did not only denounce the “socialist” ideas of his successor. It also raised doubts about the safety of Jews in New York under a Muslim mayor whose criticism of Israel is equated by some with anti-Semitism.

Zohran Mamdani had to continue to defend himself against accusations of anti-Semitism during the transition period. Accusations which, however, did not prevent Donald Trump from giving him a welcome in the Oval Office, the warmth of which must have surprised him.

However, Zohran Mamdani would be naive to see this welcome as an indication of how the president will treat him after the 1^er January.