subway rides, new offices and backlash from Israel

NEW YORK (AP) — Less than 24 hours after scores of enthusiastic supporters descended on Manhattan history-making openingZohran Mamdani began her first full day of work with a routine familiar to many New Yorkers: walking from a cramped apartment to the subway.

Bundled up against the freezing heat and appearing to be battling a cold, the man set out Friday morning from the one-bedroom apartment he shares with his wife in Queens. But unlike most commuters, Mamdani’s trip was documented by a photo and video crew and periodically interrupted by neighbors wishing her luck.

34 year old democratic socialistwhose victory was hailed as a watershed moment for the progressive movement, has now begun the task of running the nation’s largest city: signing orders, announcing appointments, facing questions from the press — and answering for some of the actions he took in his first hours.

But first, the symbolism-laden first day commute.

Alongside security guards and a few aides on a Manhattan-bound train, he agreed to take a few selfies with wide-eyed passengers, then moved to the corner seat of the train to review briefing materials.

When a pair of French tourists, confused by the noise, approached Mamdani, he introduced himself as “the new mayor of New York.” They looked suspicious. As proof, he showed the morning’s issue of the New York Daily News, which featured his smiling face.

Mamdani, a Democrat, is hardly alone among city mayors in using the public transportation system to convey relatability. His predecessor, Eric Adams, also rode the subway on his first day, and both Bill de Blasio and Michael Bloomberg have made a habit of doing so, especially when trying to make a political point.

A few minutes after entering Mamdani City Hall, images Taking public transportation sparked social media.

While the trip served as a well-timed photo op, it also seemed to reflect Mamdani’s promise in her own affidavit. keynote speechto make his “government look and live like the people it represents.”

His other early actions also seem to underscore this priority.

Mamdani, who has focused much of his campaign on making rent cheaper for New Yorkers, rushed from the inauguration ceremony to the lobby of a Brooklyn apartment building on Thursday to enthusiastic cheers from the tenants union as he vowed to step up the ongoing legal battle against the city’s allegedly negligent landlord.

Mamdani’s next action, meanwhile, demonstrated the unusual scrutiny he faced from the nascent administration, particularly around his criticisms of himself. Open support for the Israeli and Palestinian cause.

In an effort to give his government a “clean slate,” he rescinded a list of executive orders that Adams had issued toward the end of his term, including two executive orders on Israel. controversial definition antisemitism and other criticisms of Israel except city agencies and employees boycotting or withdrawing from the country.

The move sparked a swift response from some Jewish groups, including allegations from the Israeli government. published on social media He said Mamdani had poured “anti-Semitic gasoline on an open fire.”

When a journalist asked about the rescinded orders on Friday, Mamdani read prepared statements and promised that his administration would be “relentless in its efforts to combat hatred and separatism.” He noted that he left the Mayor’s Office in place to combat antisemitism.

Mamdani also announced the establishment of a “mass participation” office, which he said will continue its work. field operation of the campaign He did it to get more New Yorkers involved in the political scene.

Mamdani, surrounded by several rows of supporters and passers-by with their phones up to see the new mayor, then acknowledged the gravity of the moment.

“We have an opportunity to let New Yorkers believe once again that city government is possible,” he said. “This is not a belief that will sustain itself in the absence of action.”

Also on Mamdani’s to-do list: Moving into the mayor’s official residence, a palatial mansion in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, before the lease on her Queens apartment expires this month.

___

Associated Press writer Jennifer Peltz contributed to this report.