As he prepares to assume leadership of the nation’s largest city, New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced the formation of his transition team on Wednesday, a move that signals a clear direction for his incoming administration. Speaking from Queens, the 34-year-old democratic socialist revealed an all-female team tasked with laying the groundwork for what he has described as the city’s most ambitious policy platform in a generation.
The team will be guided by Elana Leopold as executive director. It features several high-profile co-chairs, including former first deputy mayor Maria Torres-Springer; Grace Bonilla, the president and CEO of United Way; and Melanie Hartzog, the former deputy mayor for health and human services. The inclusion of Lina Khan, who served as the chair of the Federal Trade Commission under Joe Biden, is particularly noteworthy. Khan gained a national reputation for her aggressive approach to antitrust enforcement, earning admiration from both progressives and some populist Republicans, and her appointment signals Mamdani’s intent to bring bold reformers into his government.
“In the coming months, I and my team will build a city hall capable of delivering on the promises of this campaign,” Mamdani stated during the press conference. “We will form an administration that is equal parts capable and compassionate, driven by integrity and willing to work just as hard as the millions of New Yorkers who call this city home.”
Mamdani’s historic victory makes him New York City’s first Muslim mayor, the first of South Asian descent, the first born in Africa, and the youngest to hold the office in more than a century. With the inauguration on January 1 just weeks away, he stressed the critical need for immediate action. “We owe it to this city to be ready on 1 January to start delivering,” Mamdani said in his first television interview since winning the election. “We have 57 days and those are 57 days to start to do the work of preparing.”
However, the incoming administration faces a series of formidable challenges. A significant obstacle looms in the form of a hostile relationship with Donald Trump, who has explicitly threatened to cut off federal aid to the city. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump, who also hails from Queens, declared that if Mamdani won, “it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required” to New York. According to a 2025 analysis from the state comptroller, federal funding constitutes approximately $7.4 billion, or 6.4%, of New York City’s total budget for fiscal year 2026.
The campaign itself was fraught with intense, often personal, attacks. Trump frequently labeled Mamdani a “communist” and, on election day, posted that “any Jewish person that votes for Zohran Mamdani, a proven and self professed JEW HATER, is a stupid person,” a claim made despite Mamdani’s repeated condemnations of antisemitism.
The hostility was not limited to one party. Mamdani, who became a U.S. citizen in 2018, faced calls for his denaturalization and deportation from Republican congressmen Randy Fine of Florida and Andy Ogles of Tennessee. During a radio show appearance in late October, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who lost to Mamdani, responded in agreement after the host suggested Mamdani “would be cheering” if another 9/11 attack happened. Later, standing with outgoing Mayor Eric Adams, Cuomo nodded as Adams cautioned, “New York can’t be Europe, folks. You see what’s playing out in other countries because of Islamic extremism.”
This rhetoric was amplified by a report from the Center for the Study of Organized Hate, which found that Islamophobic posts concerning Mamdani on the social media platform X increased by over 450% between September and October. The study identified nearly 36,000 posts from over 17,000 accounts, with 72% involving “terrorist labeling.” Texas Congressman Chip Roy also published an op-ed warning of an “Islamic cultural revolution” he claimed was behind Mamdani.
Despite these headwinds, Mamdani expressed confidence in his ability to implement his agenda. “I’m confident in delivering these same policies that we ran on for the last year,” he said, emphasizing a desire to bridge political divides. “No matter what your politics, we’re all facing the same issues.”
His platform is unapologetically progressive, promising a rent freeze for stabilized apartments, free bus service, universal childcare, and the establishment of city-run grocery stores. These programs are to be funded by increased taxes on corporations and the wealthy. The campaign was a fundraising powerhouse, gathering over $20 million from small-dollar donors, with an average contribution of about $80.
Mamdani’s win was part of a strong showing for Democrats nationwide, with gubernatorial victories in New Jersey and Virginia and key ballot measure successes in California and Massachusetts.
Looking ahead, the mayor-elect said his administration would begin announcing deputy mayors and agency commissioners soon, noting that “some of these people will have familiar names, others will not.” He stressed they would all share a “commitment to solving old problems with new solutions.”
“On 1 January, when our city celebrates the inauguration of a new administration, let us also celebrate a new era for our city,” Mamdani concluded, “one that we all feel invested in and whose success we all work to achieve.”
