Mamdani’s inauguration speech rife with radical rhetoric, troubling symbolism

A common crime of American politics occurs when a politician jazzes up the base with partisan rhetoric only to transform into a muddled centrist after Election Day. At least for now, New York City’s smiling socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani is not guilty of that crime. But if he keeps on this track, he’ll be guilty of much worse.

Mamdani’s January 1 inauguration ushers in what the wet-behind-the-ears mayor calls a “new era” of Democratic Socialist leadership for the largest city in the nation — the same nation that defeated the Soviets, by the way.

He was sworn in twice, first just after midnight at a private ceremony in a defunct subway station and then again at a block party in the afternoon.

“We will govern without shame and insecurity, making no apology for what we believe,” Mamdani said during remarks at his second ceremony. “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.”

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