Less than 24 hours after taking the oath, New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani began his first full day in office with a routine familiar to millions of New Yorkers, a morning subway commute from his Queens apartment.Battling against the cold, the 34-year-old Democrat left the one-bedroom apartment in Queens on Friday. Unlike most commuters, Mamdani’s journey was documented by a photo and video crew with neighbors stopping to wish him luck as he headed to work.
The subway ride came ahead of a busy first day that included signing orders, announcing appointments and facing questions from the press. Still, the mayor chose to begin with what aides described as a deliberately symbolic commute.Flanked by security guards and a small group of aides, Mamdani boarded a Manhattan-bound train, pausing to take selfies with surprised riders before settling into a corner seat to review briefing materials. The video of his subway ride went viral across social media. When two French tourists, puzzled by the attention, approached him, Mamdani introduced himself as “the new mayor of New York.” When met with disbelief, he held up the morning’s New York Daily News, which featured his photograph on the front page, according to the Associated Press.Videos of the subway ride began circulating online within minutes of Mamdani’s arrival at City Hall, drawing widespread attention and praise from supporters who viewed the moment as a reflection of his campaign message.
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While the ride served as a carefully timed public moment, it also aligned with Mamdani’s inaugural pledge to ensure his “government looks and lives like the people it represents.” Several past New York City mayors, including Eric Adams, Bill de Blasio and Michael Bloomberg, have similarly used public transit early in their terms to signal accessibility and to connect with the residents.Mamdani’s first commute was followed by a history-making swearing-in ceremony on Thursday. The Indian-origin leader became New York City’s first South Asian and Muslim mayor, as well as the second-youngest mayor in the city’s history, after taking his oath during a private ceremony at the historic Old City Hall subway station.In a first for the city, Mamdani was sworn in on a Quran from the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center collection, marking the first time a New York City mayor has taken the oath of office on Islam’s holy text.
