Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James mispronounced newly elected Democratic New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's name Thursday as she swore him into office.
James held a private event at the abandoned Old Town Hall tube station at midnight on January 1, 2026, which formally transferred power from now-former mayor Eric Adams to 34-year-old Mamdani. Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders publicly swore in Mamdani as mayor on the steps of New York City Hall later Thursday. Mamdani used two Korans for a private ceremony, one belonged to his grandfather and the other from the New York Public Library, becoming the first mayor of the city to use a Muslim religious book.
The Attorney General began by welcoming the audience and expressed that she was honored to “celebrate a man who will bring a new era of progress, hope and prosperity for New York.” (RELATED: FLASHBACK: Keffiyeh-clad Zoran Mamdani Craved More Feminist Remakes of Favorite Action Movies in Updated Video)
“Please repeat after me. Raise your right hand,” James said, beginning the process. “I, Zoran Kwami Mandani. [sic]I do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the State of New York and the Charter of the City of New York and that I will faithfully execute the office of Mayor of the City of New York to the best of my ability, so help me God.”
Mamdani repeated these words, giving his name, without commenting. James congratulated Mamdani on taking office as mayor to widespread applause.
New York's attorney general is far from alone in making this mistake. in accordance with Babbel language learning platform. The most common mistake is to mispronounce Mamdani's name as “Mandani”, although Trump White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt reportedly mispronounced his name as “Zamdani”.
The mayor, who calls himself a socialist, promised provide a range of public benefits, including free buses, city grocery stores, free child care, and raising the minimum wage to $30. Mamdani has pushed for an increase in the state's corporate tax rate and a flat 2% tax on New York's highest income earners, although those potential sources of money are likely not enough or even politically feasible, according to Politico.
However, the survey in Siena released On December 16, 2025, it was revealed that Mamdani's favorability rating across New York State was 46%, up from 40% in November. 66% of New York voters think a Mamdani victory is good for the city, while 25% think the opposite, up from 57% and 26%, respectively, in November.
Mamdani won with 50.4% of the vote (more than a million ballots) in the mayoral election on November 4, 2025. in accordance with NBC News. Former Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, an independent in the race, had 41.6%, while Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa had 7.1%.
Editor's note: This article has been updated with additional information from Babbel.
