NEW YORK (AP) — In his first 100 days in office, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has governed with a star power unusual in politics.
Crowds of supporters show up to his news conferences. Basic municipal
services have been infused with newfound excitement. Celebrities help him promote his agenda.
In the process, he's been able to notch a few notable early wins. And he's reached a detente — at least for now — with President Donald Trump, a mercurial leader with an affinity for celebrities.
But as Mamdani, a Democrat, marks an early milestone in his mayoralty, it remains to be seen whether he’ll be able to leverage his fame into achieving the progressive policy proposals that propelled him to office.
Though he’s not without staunch critics, many of whom still view his past criticisms of the police department and Israel as major problems, the mayor has been able to ease concerns among at least some skeptics.
“It's early but so far, so good,” said Jay Jacobs, chair of the state's Democratic Party, who made waves for not endorsing Mamdani during the election. “We may not agree on everything philosophically, but he is getting the job done.”
As the mayor approached his 100th day — long a benchmark for judging an administration's opening vision — his team has moved to highlight the administration's commitment to the everyday responsibilities of the job.
While much of those duties are typical for his local office — picking up trash, plowing snow and filling potholes — the 34-year-old mayor has leaned on his knack for viral content creation to drive interest and awareness of government programs.
As a storm bore down on the city this winter, Mamdani's calls on social media for more snow shovelers helped recruit thousands of new shovelers. Another social media video announcement from the mayor this winter, this time about the city's emergency alert system, brought more than 50,000 new subscribers to the program in a week, his office said.
Alongside New York Liberty star Natasha Cloud of the WNBA, Mamdani announced a bracket-style competition where people could vote on small repairs they want the mayor to come and personally fix in their neighborhoods. In a few weeks, more than 21,000 votes were cast.
And to hype up his child care program for 2-year-olds, Mamdani recruited Cardi B to help judge a jingle contest that will determine the program's theme song.
“The challenge that we set out for ourselves was to work as hard and as fast as New Yorkers do,” Mamdani told reporters on his 99th day in office this week.
The celebrity status, though, can also prompt backlash. During a bitter cold snap, his surprise appearance on the “Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” was seen by some as insensitive at a moment when the death toll of homeless New Yorkers was rapidly rising.
“Too much styling and profiling,” said Curtis Sliwa, a Republican who ran against Mamdani during last year's election, noting longstanding problems with street homelessness, public housing and infrastructure.
Still, Sliwa, who hammered Mamdani during the campaign but recently appeared in a comedy skit with the mayor during the City Hall press corps' annual roast, appeared to give Mamdani some credit, even if it came with a caveat.
“We just had Eric Adams, swagger man who'd party to the break of dawn, and now we have a guy who seems like he’s got a normal working schedule,” said Sliwa, referencing the city's previous mayor. “So having Zohran as the alternative, I think for a lot of people even if they disagree with him, there’s some stability.”
Mamdani has also trained his outsized audience on another routine reality of city governance: budgeting.
Earlier this year, Mamdani held an unusually dour press conference at City Hall about a massive gap in the city budget, saying either the state would have to raise taxes on the wealthy or he would have to increase local property taxes to balance the budget.
The public play from the mayor was widely seen as a strategy to pressure New York Gov. Kathy Hochul into approving a millionaires tax, a key priority for Mamdani and his base. Hochul, a moderate Democrat who is up for reelection this year, has strongly opposed such a measure.
After the City Council released a separate budget proposal that found different ways to close the gap, Mamdani slammed the plan and released a video calling out Council Speaker Julie Menin, resulting in some of his supporters attacking the speaker online.
The city's budget woes, still unsolved, could prove a major hurdle for Mamdani as he pursues his agenda.
Andrew Rein, president of the fiscally conservative Citizens Budget Commission, said Mamdani has an “extra challenging” budget process ahead of him, but that the mayor's communications savvy could help him navigate the rough terrain.
“What we've seen is him bringing his newer strategies and tools to communications but in a very practical, old-school problem,” Rein said. “When he uses his communications skills to get people more invested and to improve the functioning of government and to help New Yorkers the trade offs that have to be made, that is going to be a great win.”
On the night of Mamdani’s election party, hundreds packed the streets, some spontaneously, waiting for a glimpse of the mayor-elect leaving the venue. Departing campaign aides were cheered, by name, well after midnight. One attendee likened the street party to Beatlemania.
“I feel like I’m at a presidential inauguration,” said Medhavie Agnihotri, a 25-year-old tech consultant. “This is the first time in a while I’ve felt this hope.”
His star power has not appeared to wane since then among some factions.
Outside City Hall, New Yorkers and tourists frequently stop for selfies, peering through the iron gates in search of the mayor.
This week, on the mayor’s 97th day in office, a massive crowd gathered in the lobby of the busy Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, watching as Mamdani announced the city would start sending some people with serious medical illnesses to the hospital from the city’s notorious Riker’s Island jail.
He entered to woos and applause from the large group, many appearing to be hospital staffers who held up cellphones to record videos of the mayor speaking. Dozens more watched along from a set of elevated walkways.
One man, Ricardo Granados, a 67-year-old retiree, was on his way to take his son to a medical appointment but stopped to see what all the hubbub was about. He appeared delighted to learn Mamdani was going to show up, saying he met Mamdani previously when Mamdani was campaigning in Granados’ neighborhood.
“I’m extremely fond of him. I think he’s going to make a real difference,” Granados said. “He wants to find out who needs what and he wants to help.”
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AP writer Jake Offenhartz contributed to this story
