(MENAFN) New York City’s incoming mayor, Zohran Mamdani, vowed early Wednesday to deliver on his central promise of making the city more affordable, positioning his administration as a potential blueprint for Democrats nationwide to counter President Donald Trump.

Mamdani extended well-wishes to his primary opponent, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, noting, "let tonight be the final time I utter his name as we turn the page on a politics that abandons the many, and answers only to the few." Rather than dwell on his challenger, the mayor-elect emphasized his forward-looking agenda as he prepares to take office at Gracie Mansion in January amid Trump’s ongoing political influence.

He urged residents to embrace transformative change, stating, "We will usher in a generation of change, and if we embrace this brave new course, rather than fleeing from it, we can respond to oligarchy and authoritarianism with the strength it fears, not the appeasement it craves. After all, if anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him." The remarks drew strong applause from supporters at a Brooklyn theater.

Turning his message directly to Trump, Mamdani added, "If there is any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power. This is not only how we stop Trump, it's how we stop the next one. So Donald Trump, since I know you're watching, I have four words for you: 'Turn the volume up.'"

At the time of the announcement, Mamdani held a clear lead in the three-way race, with over half of the votes counted, according to reports. Trump had attempted to influence the election, endorsing Cuomo and unsuccessfully urging Republican Curtis Sliwa to step aside, while warning he might withhold federal funds should Mamdani win.

A committed democratic socialist, Mamdani campaigned on affordability and expanded social programs, including free public transit, universal childcare, city-run grocery stores, rent-stabilized housing, and a gradual increase in the minimum wage from $16.50 to $30 per hour by 2030. Funding for these initiatives would come from raising the corporate tax rate to 11.5%, aligning it with New Jersey, and implementing a 2% tax on income over $1 million.

Mamdani also pledged that, should Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visit New York, the NYPD would enforce the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against him for alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Addressing his supporters, Mamdani stressed the importance of unity, saying, "We will build a City Hall that stands steadfast alongside Jewish New Yorkers, and does not waver in the fight against the scourge of anti-Semitism, where the more than 1 million Muslims know that they belong, not just in the five boroughs of this city, but in the halls of power. No more will New York be a city where you can traffic in Islamophobia and win an election."

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