- Born: October 18, 1991, Kampala, Uganda
- Nationality: Ugandan and United States (since 2018)
- Connection to India: He is of Indian origin.
- Mother: Mira Nair (renowned Indian-American filmmaker who made movies like Salaam Bombay and Monsoon Wedding).
- Father: Mahmood Mamdani (distinguished professor and scholar at Columbia University).
- Early Life: He was born and spent his early childhood in Uganda. He moved to New York City with his family at approximately 7 years of age.
- Education:
- Graduate of Bronx High School of Science.
- Graduated with a degree in Africana Studies from Bowdoin College, Maine (2014).
- Spouse: Rama Duwaji (Married 2025)
Key Achievements
- Historic Win: He is the first Muslim Mayor, the first South Asian-origin Mayor, and the first Africa-born Mayor of New York City.
- Youngest Mayor: He is set to become the city’s youngest mayor in over 100 years.
- Political Ideology: He is a member of the Democratic Party and a prominent progressive leader associated with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
New York: Mayor-elect Mamdani to Meet Trump
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said on Thursday that while he has many disagreements with President Donald Trump, he will work with the American leader on any agenda that benefits New Yorkers.
Mamdani will meet Trump at the White House on Friday. This will be the first meeting between the two, and the first since Mamdani’s victory in the New York City mayoral election on November 4.
“I have many differences with the President, and I believe that we should be relentless and take every avenue and every meeting that can make our city affordable for every single New Yorker,” Mamdani told reporters here.
He further added, “It is my intention to make it clear to President Trump that I will work with him on any agenda that benefits New Yorkers. If an agenda harms New Yorkers, I will also be the first to say so,” he added.
Mamdani said his team had reached out to the White House to arrange the meeting, “because I will work with anyone to make the lives of the over eight and a half million people who call this city home more affordable.” He went on to say that given the mutual interdependence, it is customary for an incoming New York City Mayor to meet with the White House. He noted that it is more important than ever, as there is a national crisis of affordability, which New Yorkers are well aware of across the city, as well as the unique challenge many cities face in balancing the steps this administration is taking to maintain public safety.
Mamdani acknowledged that for New Yorkers, his meeting with Trump is “between two very different candidates whom they voted for for the exact same reason. They wanted a leader who would deal with the crisis of the cost of living, which makes it impossible for working people to live in this city.”
Trump, in a post on ‘Truth Social’ on Wednesday night, said that New York City’s “Communist” Mayor Zohran ‘Kwame’ Mamdani has requested a meeting. “We have agreed that the meeting will take place on Friday, November 21, in the Oval Office.”
Trump has been a critic of Mamdani’s policies and had warned on the eve of the November 4 election that a Mamdani victory would be “a complete and total economic and social disaster” for New York City.
In his fiery victory speech, Mamdani challenged Trump, who had begun a crackdown on immigration in his second term as President. He emphasized that New York will be powered by immigrants, and after his historic victory, it will be led by “an immigrant.”
“Finally, if anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is this city that gave birth to him. And if there is any way to intimidate a dictator, it is to eliminate the very circumstances that allowed him to accumulate power,” Mamdani said to thundering applause.
“This is not just how you stop Trump; this is how you stop the next one. So, Donald Trump, as I know you are watching, I have four words for you: Turn up the volume,” Mamdani declared.
Trump had called Mamdani’s victory speech a “very angry” address, saying he got off to a bad start and had no chance of succeeding if he did not respect Washington.
Mamdani won a closely contested battle for New York City Mayor, becoming the first South Asian and Muslim to take the reins of America’s largest city.
He had been the frontrunner in the NYC mayoral race for months and defeated Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and political veteran, former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent candidate and was officially endorsed by Trump just hours before the election.
