IT BEGINS: Mamdani Issues ‘Demand’ to New Yorkers After Getting Elected

New York City’s newly elected mayor, Zohran Mamdani, is off to a rocky start just days after defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa — and he’s already making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Less than 24 hours after declaring victory, Mamdani released a video on X asking New Yorkers to send him money — despite having just wrapped up a multimillion-dollar campaign. The self-described democratic socialist urged “working-class” residents to contribute to fund his transition team, claiming the donations would help “hire policy experts” and “strengthen infrastructure” for his incoming administration.

Alongside the video, Mamdani wrote, “Thank you, New York City. Together we made history. Now let’s get to work.”

But many New Yorkers weren’t impressed. Social media erupted with criticism, mocking the mayor-elect for immediately soliciting cash.

“It’s been less than 24 hours since Mamdani won the election & he’s already asking for money. Congratulations New York City, bravo,” one user wrote.

Another added, “Islamist and Communist Mamdani promises ‘free’ stuff. Now he begs for donations?”

“Already begging for money. What a joke,” another commenter said.

Even some on the Left are expressing concern. Liberal commentator Van Jones, a former Obama adviser, blasted Mamdani’s victory speech as overly aggressive and divisive — warning that his tone marked an “instant character switch” from the calm persona he displayed during the campaign.

“I think he missed an opportunity,” Jones told CNN. “The Mamdani that we saw on the campaign trail, who was a lot more calm, who was a lot warmer, who was a lot more embracing, was not present in that speech.”

Jones added that the new mayor’s fiery rhetoric could alienate moderates and working-class voters still unsure about his far-left agenda.

“There are a lot of people trying to figure out, ‘Can I get on this train with him or not?’… I think he missed a chance tonight to open up and bring more people into the tent,” Jones said.

According to the New York Post, Mamdani declared victory roughly two hours after polls closed, leading with 50.4 percent of the vote compared to Cuomo’s 42 percent, with nearly all precincts reporting.

In his 20-minute speech, Mamdani framed his win as a “mandate for change,” proudly identifying as young, Muslim, and a democratic socialist — and unapologetic about all three.

“The conventional wisdom would tell you that I am far from the perfect candidate. I am young, despite my best efforts to grow older. I am Muslim. I am a democratic socialist. And most damning of all, I refuse to apologize for any of this,” Mamdani said.

He went on to declare, “New York, tonight you have delivered a mandate for change, a mandate for a new kind of politics, a mandate for a city that we can afford and a mandate for a government that delivers exactly that.”

Critics argue that Mamdani’s early focus on fundraising and combative rhetoric signals what’s to come — a radical administration that could turn America’s largest city into a test case for socialist governance under the watchful eye of President Donald J. Trump’s second-term administration.