‘I Will Govern as a Democratic Socialist,’ Mamdani Says at Inauguration

“And now it is my honor to swear in your new mayor. So help me, God.” “So help me, God. While only action can change minds, I promise you this: If you are a New Yorker, I am your mayor. Beginning today, we will govern expansively and audaciously. We will govern without shame and insecurity, making no apology for what we believe. I was elected as a Democratic socialist and I will govern as a Democratic socialist. I will not abandon my principles for fear of being deemed radical. I stand alongside countless more New Yorkers watching from cramped kitchens in Flushing and barbershops in East New York, from cellphones propped against the dashboards of parked taxicabs at LaGuardia, from hospitals in Mott Haven and libraries in El Barrio that have too long known only neglect.” “Together, this ascent marks a new era for New York City.” “When working people stand together, when we don’t let them divide us up, there is nothing we cannot accomplish.” “I’ve never seen so many youth come out for this, and I’ve seen so many.” “I just feel so good to be a New Yorker today. I had to come out. Most of us are willing to be courageous and step behind someone that wants change, that looks like change and that is acting on change.”