Zohran Mamdani - who describes himself as Donald Trump's 'worst nightmare' - said he had a 'mandate for change' as he addressed supporters following his New York mayoral win in the early hours of Wednesday.
"Tonight you have delivered a mandate for change. A mandate for a new kind of politics. A mandate for a city we can afford. And a mandate for a government that delivers exactly that," he said.
Mamdani is the first Muslim mayor of the city, and was born in Uganda to South Asian parents.
"I am Muslim. I am a Democratic Socialist. And most damning of all, I refuse to apologise for any of it," he said.
"Whether you are an immigrant, a member of the trans community, one of the many Black women that Donald Trump has fired from a federal job…" he told the crowd. "A single mom still waiting for the cost of groceries to go down, or anyone else with their back against the wall. Your struggle is ours too. And 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."
Trump endorsed his independent opponent and former Democrat governor of New York State Andrew Cuomo: "I’m not a fan of Cuomo one way or another, but if it’s going to be between a bad Democrat and a communist."
Following Mamdani's win, the US president also wrote on Truth Social: "“TRUMP WASN’T ON THE BALLOT, AND SHUTDOWN, WERE THE TWO REASONS THAT REPUBLICANS LOST ELECTIONS TONIGHT,” according to Pollsters."
He followed up: "AND SO IT BEGINS!" although did not clarify what he meant.
Mamdani took just over 50 percent of the vote, followed by independent Cuomo on 41.6 percent and Republican Curtis Sliwa on 7.1 percent.
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