Zohran Mamdani just completed 100 days in New York City Mayor’s office. He scripted history when he took charge in January these years. In these 100 days, Mamdani worked around the clock to deliver on several campaign promises – from a rent freeze to free buses and childcare.
In the process, Mamdani, a Democrat, has notched a few notable early wins, and has reached a detente – at least for now – with US President Donald Trump.
Mamdani became the first Muslim mayor sworn into New York City’s office. But celebrations quickly gave way to immediate tests, as two winter storms created major challenges citywide.
The mayor insisted the city remain operational, with every street ploughed, ABC News reported. Learning moved online for the nation’s largest school district for one day, allowing students to attend class from home during the height of the storms.
Mamdani also announced a new initiative designed to speed up affordable housing construction on city-owned land. The program, called the Neighborhood Builders Fast Track, aims to accelerate development timelines. The mayor has already identified three city-owned sites for fast-tracked housing.
Universal childcare for two-year-olds is one major campaign promise that Mamdani has already delivered and is set to roll out this September. According to ABC News, city officials said the program is expected to save working parents about $20,000 per child.
Mamdani’s viral content creation
While many of those duties are typical for his local office – picking up trash, ploughing snow and filling potholes – the 34-year-old mayor has leaned on his knack for viral content creation to drive interest and awareness of government programs.
Alongside New York Liberty star Natasha Cloud of the WNBA, Mamdani announced a bracket-style competition where people could vote on small repairs they want the mayor to come and personally fix in their neighbourhoods. In a few weeks, more than 21,000 votes were cast.
And to hype up his child care program for 2-year-olds, Mamdani recruited Cardi B to help judge a jingle contest that will determine the program’s theme song.
“The challenge that we set out for ourselves was to work as hard and as fast as New Yorkers do,” Mamdani told reporters on his 99th day in office this week.
Celebrity status
During a bitter cold snap, Mamdani’s surprise appearance on the “Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” was seen by some as insensitive at a moment when the death toll of homeless New Yorkers was rapidly rising.
“Too much styling and profiling,” Curtis Sliwa, a Republican who ran against Mamdani during last year’s election, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying.
Meeting with Trump
In these 100 days, Mamdani met trump twice inperson since being elected, with both meetings described as surprisingly cordial despite their political differences. The meetings focused on housing projects in Queens and federal funding.
While both men have been critical of each other’s policy positions and hold radically different worldviews, their first meeting in November 2025 was unexpectedly friendly. The second meeting was held in February.
On February 26, Mamdani said, “I had a productive meeting with President Trump this afternoon. I’m looking forward to building more housing in New York City.”
They spoke about bringing down the price of housing. A former real estate developer, Trump had brightened at Mamdani’s call for more housing in New York, Reuters reported.
During their second meeting, Mamdani said he raised concerns with Trump about a detention of Columbia University student Elmina Aghayeva from Azerbaijan by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and that Trump later informed him she will be “released imminently.”
The federal Homeland Security Department subsequently said it freed Aghayeva and launched removal proceedings against her.
Mamdani appoints New York’s first trans woman
Attorney Taylor Brown became the first transgender person in history to lead a New York City office or agency. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed an executive order at the Brooklyn Community Pride Center in Crown Heights to officially establish the first-ever Mayor’s Office of
