In a whirlwind start to his historic tenure, New York City's new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, spent his first full day in office blending symbolic gestures with substantive policy moves, immediately drawing both domestic praise and international controversy.
A Symbolic Commute and a Swift Start
On the morning of Friday 2 January 2026, less than 24 hours after a rapturous inauguration, the 34-year-old democratic socialist began his day like millions of his constituents: with a commute on the subway. Bundled against the cold, he left the one-bedroom Queens apartment he shares with his wife, his journey documented by cameras and punctuated by well-wishing neighbours.
On a Manhattan-bound train, flanked by security and aides, Mamdani posed for selfies with surprised passengers before reviewing briefing notes. To prove his identity to sceptical French tourists, he brandished a copy of the New York Daily News featuring his portrait. The move echoed predecessors like Eric Adams and Bill de Blasio, using public transit to project relatability.
This commute visually underscored the pledge from his inaugural speech to ensure his "government looks and lives like the people it represents." His actions immediately afterwards aimed to prove that point.
Early Actions: Tenant Advocacy and Executive Orders
True to a campaign centred on housing, Mamdani's first stop after his Thursday inauguration was a Brooklyn apartment building. There, he vowed to tenants that the city would intensify legal action against their allegedly negligent landlord, met with boisterous cheers from the tenants' union.
Once inside City Hall, he moved to give his administration a "clean slate" by revoking a series of late-term executive orders issued by former mayor Adams. Among the revoked orders were two related to Israel: one that adopted a contentious definition of antisemitism encompassing certain criticism of the state, and another barring city agencies and employees from boycotting or divesting from Israel.
Swift Backlash and a Defensive Stance
The revocation of the Israel-related orders provoked an immediate and fierce reaction. The Israeli government accused Mamdani on social media of pouring "antisemitic gasoline on an open fire." Several Jewish groups also voiced strong criticism.
When questioned by journalists on Friday, Mamdani read from prepared remarks, asserting his administration would be "relentless in its effort to combat hate and division." He noted he had retained the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism.
Amid the controversy, Mamdani also announced the creation of a new "mass engagement" office, designed to continue his campaign's work in bringing more New Yorkers into political participation. Surrounded by a deep crowd of supporters and onlookers, he acknowledged the weight of expectation. "We have an opportunity where New Yorkers are allowing themselves to believe in the possibility of city government once again," he said, adding that such belief required concrete action to sustain it.
For the new mayor, pressing personal business also awaits: a move from his Queens flat to the official mayoral residence, Gracie Mansion on Manhattan's Upper East Side, before his lease expires later in January.
