Zohran Mamdani issues first message as New York City mayor

Zohran Mamdani gave his first message to New York City after becoming mayor just after midnight on Thursday.

In his speech, which he gave at a historic, decommissioned subway station in Manhattan, Mamdani said: “This is truly the honor and privilege of a lifetime.”

He also appointed his new Department of Transportation commissioner during his speech, Mike Flynn, after saying the old subway station was a “testament to the importance of public transit to the vitality, the health and the legacy of our city.”

The New York City mayor, who is also the first Muslim leader of America’s biggest city, also wrote in a post, announcing the account as his official page as mayor: “Welcome to a new era for NYC.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

This article contains reporting from the Associated Press.