New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani marked his first 100 days in office with a mix of celebration and pitch—telling supporters the early results prove democratic socialism can take root beyond any textbook.
He framed his win as proof that there’s only “one majority in this country — that’s the working class,” and that policy has to put that group “at the heart” of what government is trying to do.
Even when he veered into campaign language, it sounded less like nostalgia and more like a warning to opponents that he intends to keep pushing.
“Pothole politics” and child care push
At an April 12 event that he described as a first milestone, Mamdani leaned hard on the kinds of achievements that are easy to count and show quickly.
“Nothing is too big for New York City to take on,” he said, adding that “over the past 14 weeks, we have proved that there is no task too small, either.”
The headline items he cited included securing $1.2 billion for child care and fixing 100,000 potholes across the city.
He paired those with a newer move meant to bring in revenue tied to a long-running New York housing debate: in conjunction with New York Gov.
Kathy Hochul, the city will tax secondary homes worth more than $5 million owned by non-New Yorkers—part of what’s commonly called a pied-à-terre tax.
Mamdani said that measure is expected to generate more than $500 million in revenue per year.
In a video announcing the tax, he said, “When I ran for mayor, I said I was going to tax the rich.
Well, today, we’re taxing the rich.” He added it would fund things like “free child care, cleaner streets and safer neighborhoods.” On a day like this—paper cup coffee warming your hands, someone’s keys clinking in the crowd—those kinds of promises don’t just land in policy memos.
They get repeated until they start to sound like a plan.
Trump, tensions, and what’s left
Mamdani’s first 100 days have unfolded alongside a relationship with President Donald Trump that’s unusual in tone, if not in partisanship.
Before the election, Trump attacked Mamdani and endorsed former Democratic Gov.
Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent.
Trump called Mamdani a “communist” and threatened to cut federal funding to New York City if Mamdani won.
But after Mamdani took office, one of his early tasks was meeting the president.
Both Trump and Mamdani portrayed the interaction as positive, with Trump saying the two have similar ideas and that he’d “feel very, very comfortable being in New York.” Mamdani told CBS News that he and Trump are in touch, insisting they are “honest, direct about the fact that we have many disagreements,” while pointing to shared enthusiasm for the city.
“There is one place of agreement that we have, which is that we both love New York City,” Mamdani said.
And then, as if he’s trying to keep the conversation from drifting too far into ideological warfare, he brought it back to the practical question: “And that’s, I think, something that is at the heart of every conversation we have is how can we make the city better?”
Still, Mamdani also acknowledged—sometimes mid-sentence, sometimes with a kind of controlled impatience—that a list of priorities remains unfinished.
Last Sunday’s rally included plans to open a city-owned grocery store in East Harlem.
He said the store will be in La Marqueta, a market started by then-New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia in 1936 and expected to open next year.
It’s expected to cost $30 million, according to The New York Times.
He also promised to reduce commute times by expanding bus service into areas where subway access is limited.
But he has yet to show progress on lowering rent and increasing taxes to help fund citywide improvements.
And while he’s touted momentum on child care, he’s not close to universal free care.
Mamdani said he plans to use part of the $1.2 billion granted by Hochul to provide 2,000 free spots for two-year-olds in lower-income communities by fall 2026, with a path to grow that to 12,000 children by fall 2027 and reach “full universality” within four years.
That’s the shape of his first hundred days: fast fixes and big-ticket proposals, plus a constant insistence that the ideology isn’t just rhetoric—it’s meant to drive the next round of fights. Whether it holds up as the city’s challenges get harder to patch, well… that’s for the next stretch.
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