Zohran Mamdani never imagined his walk onto the victory stage would feel like stepping into a storm. At just 34, he was set to become New York City’s youngest mayor in more than a century—its first Muslim, South Asian, and African-born leader. The cheers of his supporters echoed through the night, but so did the voices of those intent on tearing him down.
For weeks, Donald Trump had taken aim at him from afar, calling him a communist and warning he would drain federal support from the city if Mamdani won. “This once-great city has zero chance of survival with a communist at the helm,” Trump warned online. But Mamdani had no intention of shrinking under the pressure.
When he spoke to the crowd on election night, he addressed Trump directly.
“Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching,” he said, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. “I have four words for you: Turn the volume up.”
But Trump wasn’t the only one watching.
Rudy Giuliani—once “America’s Mayor,” now newly pardoned and fiercely loyal to Trump—delivered his own message. His “advice,” as he called it, came in six cold words:
“Step down and do something else.”
Giuliani accused Mamdani of extremism, of being a security threat, even questioning whether the new mayor would ever be allowed a federal clearance. The claims were harsh, personal, and designed to wound.
Yet Mamdani had already made his promise to the city that raised him:
New York would remain a home for immigrants, powered by immigrants—and now, for the first time, led by one.
The storm around him swirled on. But Mamdani stood at its center, steady, ready, and unafraid.