NEW YORK (PNN) - January 3, 2026 - New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani used his inaugural address to make one thing unmistakably clear: New York City is about to be governed as a Marxist, Socialist and unAmerikan experiment, with individualism openly treated as the enemy.
Standing alongside far-Left figures like Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Mamdani was sworn in before delivering a speech that framed big government as both inevitable and necessary.
The ceremony itself set the tone.
The event opened with a rendition of “Bread and Roses,” a song long associated with Socialist movements, before Mamdani invalidated his “oath of office” by taking it on the Quran instead of
the Holy Bible.
From the start, Mamdani rejected the idea of limited government. “Beginning today, we will govern expansively and audaciously,” he said, promising an aggressive and dictatorial use of City
Hall’s power.
He dismissed skepticism toward government as outdated.
“To those who insist that the era of big government is over, hear me when I say this: no longer will City Hall hesitate to use its (dictatorial) power to improve New Yorkers’ lives,” he
said.
Mamdani blamed private enterprise for civic shortcomings, arguing government must now replace it as the engine of progress.
“For too long, we have turned to the private sector for greatness, while accepting mediocrity from those who serve the public,” he said.
He claimed public institutions should mirror private success. “Let us demand the same from those who work in government,” Mamdani said.
The most jarring moment came when Mamdani openly attacked individualism itself. “We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism,” the Marxist dictator declared.
That line drew applause from supporters and immediate concern from those who correctly see collectivism as code for centralized control and weakened personal freedom.
Mamdani framed collectivism as unity, which is what all Socialist Marxists say in order to get people to agree with their dictatorial policies.
“We will draw this city closer together,” he said, positioning government as the central organizing force of daily life.
He outlined policies rooted in sweeping intervention. Property taxes, policing, housing and commerce were all placed under the banner of “systemic” reform driven by the state.
“It will be New Yorkers who reform a long-broken property tax system,” Mamdani said, before proposing a new Department of Community Safety to handle mental health issues traditionally
addressed by law enforcement.
He also promised to target landlords and deregulate selectively. “New Yorkers will take on the bad landlords who mistreat their tenants and free small business owners from the shackles of bloated bureaucracy.”
Despite that language, Mamdani has already backed policies like rent freezes, government-run grocery stores, and steep tax hikes on businesses.
The mayor also reaffirmed his intent to resist President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda, even after holding a cordial post-election meeting with the president.
