Uganda-born Zohran Mamdani won a resounding victory on Tuesday to become New York City’s next mayor.
It caps the Democrat’s stunning ascent from little-known state lawmaker just a year ago to one of the most talked-about politicians in the country.
The democratic socialist, who spent some of his formative years in South Africa, will be the first Muslim leader in the city’s history.
In a speech to a crowd of supporters on Tuesday night, he wasted no time in calling out United States President Donald Trump.
“So Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: turn the volume up,” he said shortly after being declared the victor.
Mamdani told the crowd that New York would be the light “in this moment of political darkness”.
He made countering the Republican president’s actions in the city, particularly on immigration, a centrepiece of his campaign.
“New York will remain a city of immigrants, a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants. And as of tonight, led by an immigrant,” he said.
“So hear me, President Trump when I say this. To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us.”
In the run up to the vote, Trump – whose celebrity is closely tied to New York – threatened to withhold federal funding and take over the city if Mamdani won the race.
The thirty-four-year-old will officially take office on 1 January, becoming the Big Apple’s youngest mayor in more than a century.
