Mamdani Decoded: Myths and Realities
The victory of Zohran Mamdani as the New York City Mayor created more cheers as well as concerns. It has also polarised not only the US political landscape but also the global political opinion. This is because the US is a very important country, and we live in a very interconnected and globalised world. There are two big ways that people are divided. Firstly, based on his background- a young South Asian Muslim Mayor, and secondly, his ideology and policies- a Democratic Socialist. He won the mayorship by contesting from both the Democratic Party and the Working Families Party. He will command the $115B budget of the city. In this article, let us closely look at various claims and separate myths from realities.
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100 Days Plan
Mamdani has kept 100 days to bring in structural changes in the city governance. As of now, it has been 40-45 days, and we have yet to see what exactly is going to be a big change. Just like any leader, his first few days saw the signing of executive orders (EOs) on various issues. He has also been successful in creating a childcare programme for the city.
During the deadly cold wave, he was active in managing the situation on the ground, especially helping homeless people. In early February, he signed an EO to restrict ICE agents activities in the city. By this, he is trying to oppose Trump's core agenda in the city. We had discussed in-depth Trump's immigration policies in various articles.
Zohran Mamdani is the first Muslim Mayor in the USA
This is not true. Muslim Mayors are not new in the USA. Zohran Mamdani joins Abdullah Hammoud of Dearborn and Mo Baydoun of Dearborn Heights, MI. He is the first Muslim Mayor of New York City, but not the first Muslim Mayor of the US. Mohammed Hameeduddin was elected Mayor of Teaneck, New Jersey, in 2010 as the first Muslim Mayor of the US. Abdullah Hammoud was re-elected as Mayor of Dearborn in November 2025. The US has three Muslim mayors leading major cities: Zohran Mamdani in New York City, Hammoud in Dearborn, and Mo Baydoun of Dearborn Heights. Faizul Kabir has a mayoralty in College Park, Maryland, a Washington, D.C. suburb.
Trump himself had nominated a Muslim Member in his cabinet, Lebanon-born billionaire Massad Boulos, as his senior White House adviser for Arab and Middle Eastern affairs. Mayor Bill Bazzi is now President Donald Trump’s ambassador to Tunisia. Several Muslims overwhelmingly voted for Trump this time after a gap of 20 years for a Republican. Historically, Muslims have always voted for the Republican Party. Muslim support for Trump helped him win Michigan and may have resulted in his Presidential win, too.
Zohran Mamdani is the first Socialist Mayor of the USA
Contrary to popular notion, the US has had several socialist mayors for a very long time. The Socialist Party of America is even older than the Russian Revolution. Most of the Northeastern states and the states of the Rust Belt have had socialist mayors for a long time. The City of Milwaukee (the Largest in Wisconsin) elected three Socialist Mayors from 1910 to 1960.
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) describes itself as the largest socialist organisation in the US. It says it has more than 80,000 members across all 50 states. Most young voters have seen a radical shift from both established parties towards Socialism and Socialist Parties. It is not just Mamdani, but also AOC, Bernie Sanders, and many progressive leaders have allied themselves closely with DSA.
Even when we say Mamdani as a socialist, he identifies himself as a Democratic Socialist and a Progressive. Democratic socialists move away from the historic examples of socialism and communism and talk much about the practical Nordic countries' politics. It is an economic ideology that covers everything from poverty to health care to higher education. They call for a raise in minimum wages, universal healthcare, childcare, a raise in corporate taxes, and much more. President Trump has frequently criticised Mamdani as a Communist and Marxist.
"When we talk about my politics, I call myself a democratic socialist in many ways inspired by the words of Dr. King from decades ago who said, 'Call it democracy or call it democratic socialism. There has to be a better distribution of wealth for all of God's children in this country,'" he said, referring to a 1961 speech by Martin Luther King Jr. "And as income inequality has declined nationwide, it has increased in New York City. And, ultimately, what we need is a city where every single person can thrive."- Zohran Mamdani
So the conclusion is, he is the first socialist mayor of New York City, but not the first socialist mayor of the USA.
The Corporate Tax will be the highest in the country
The key promise of Zohran Mamdani has been raising the corporate tax, and it has rattled a lot of rich people. Is his promise unrealistic or not? The fact is, Zohran wanted to raise corporate tax from the current rate of 7.25% to 11.5%, matching that of New Jersey state, which has the highest corporate tax in the country. Why? In order to fund his welfare programmes. So his base idea is to match New York City's close neighbour, New Jersey. On the otherhand, many people have said that he will not be able to realise this promise either.
Corporate Tax has always been a contentious debate in the country. One of the first decisions that Trump has taken in his first term has been the cut in corporate taxes. This brought down the taxes from 35% to 21%. Since January 1, 2018, the nominal federal corporate tax rate in the United States is a flat 21%, which is the lowest in decades, and it continues to do so. Different states have different tax rates, and most of them are below 10%. Many people will say that it has been lower corporate taxes that have led to the success of the US economy as a whole. But corporate tax in the US has always been high besides the last decade.
Here is why many people believe the increase in corporate tax will not happen. Firstly, it will reduce the competitive nature of New York with its neighbours, according to experts. But many people also argue that metropolitan areas cannot be cheap and low-taxed. Secondly, NYC is a city, not a state. It is part of New York State. Who controls the corporate tax in the state? It is the State Legislature. Zohran Mamdani will have to negotiate with the state officials and legislators. As of now, not many legislators have come in favour of this. Hence, Zohran Mamdani will actually have to go the extra mile for this.
The Increase in the Billionaire Tax and Raising the Minimum Wage
Another controversial promise has been this. It called for a hike in tax on anyone earning more than $1M a year by 1% to 2%. This will raise the city’s income tax on its richest residents from 3.9% to 5.9%. The objective was to raise $4 billion annually for public services. This created a massive ruckus in the wealth circles. Some of the millionaires have threatened to leave the city if that happens. As mentioned before, this should be a state policy change and not a city-specific policy. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has opposed the proposal. Mamdani says he will defend the decision, as millionaires will not flee the city. Studies show that when millionaires do move, it rarely appears to be for tax reasons.
Very similar to that is Mamdani's promise of raising the minimum wage from $17 to $30 by 2030, stage-wise. It is very difficult for the city to have its own minimum wage because it is part of the state. The city needs to bargain with the state capital for that autonomy, which is again very hard in the current scenario. Even if Mamdani tries to implement via an executive order, it can be challenged.
The Promise of Free Buses is making it the first city to have free Buses
This was one of the big highlights of his promises. It is part of making the city liveable and affordable. The City buses are operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a state-run agency that also manages the city’s subway system and regional commuter rail networks. Again, as I mentioned before, it comes under the State government and not the city. MTA is not in a financial shape to actually afford free buses for everyone. Along with free buses, he wishes to make it faster and smoother for people to travel.
Coming to the issue as a whole, it's a polarising issue among economists and public transportation enthusiasts. Who will fund the buses is an important question. Three cities in the US that have successfully implemented free bus programmes are: Alexandria, Olympia, and Boston. On the otherhand, Kansas City, which implemented it, saw it was a failure.
Is the bus the only thing that is free in the USA? No, we have the example of the free transit of the Staten Island ferry. It is fully free and is successfully operated by the New York City Department of Transportation. It is operated 24x7 as well. Guess who started this service? Republican Mayor Rudy Giuliani. It is the busiest ferry route in the United States and the world's busiest passenger-only ferry system.
Now the question is, can a free bus model be derived by copying the Staten Island ferry? The answer is yes, it is all about the funding and operations, but it needs to be approved by the policymakers in Albany who control the MTA.
The USA doesn't have state-run stores
Understand that Mamdani also won big on state-run grocery stores, again very much part of his affordability agenda- making it cheaper for people to live in NYC. He plans to use state-run stores, which don't have to pay taxes or rent to the government, as well as focus on selling goods at a low price, not aimed at any profit.
Many people believe that this is Mamdani's new agenda or that the US doesn't have state-run stores. But this is false. 17 US states have state-run liquor stores. Several states, notably Republican ruled states, have had state-run grocery stores. Similarly, Chicago looked into this last year.
Rent freeze
This is one of the easiest promises that Mamdani can fulfil. Can he freeze the rents for everyone? That is not true. He cannot control the rent for everyone in NYC; rather, only for selected apartments. Rent Stabilisation applies to buildings with six or more units built before 1974. Rent control usually applies to buildings built before 1947.
What can Mamdani do? He directly appoints members to the 9-member Rent Guidelines Board. Rent increases are set annually by the Rent Guidelines Board. If he can pick those people who match his agenda, then he can freeze the rent for thousands of people. Former Mayor Bill De Blasio was also successful in stabilising the rent, and many people see this promise actually getting fulfilled.
The Way Ahead
Zohran Mamdani won with a big agenda, with a mix of highly ambitious promises as well as some highly practical ones. By now, you would have understood Mamdani's various policies and the challenges in their implementation. The main challenge for NYC is its lack of independent status as a city. It is still a part of NY state, and that is dragging back the city governance. The next challenge is funding or budget constraints. For his free bus agenda, grocery stores, etc., finding how to get money will be crucial.
Conclusion
Establishing and implementing an agenda is crucial for any political leader. This is especially true for a person such as Zohran Mamdani, who defied historic roadblocks, made big promises, and gave hope. Let us be honest, most of his promises are very hard yet not impossible to fulfil. Despite all odds, there is a big campaign of misinformation and myths perpetrated to attack him personally and ideologically. And hence, this article tries to distinguish facts from myths and discuss the realities rather than emotions.
It has been hardly a few days since Mamdani has taken charge. He has raised people's expectations not only for the residents of NYC but for the entire world. Sometimes people say he has overpromised, while others see that every politician does it. While his core supporters are hopeful that he will actually be able to succeed. If he can fulfil even two or three promises out of these many, he will be seen as a very successful mayor and confidently seek re-election. If he is able to make even bigger strides, he can have a good political career both at the state and national levels.
Do you think Mamdani will be able to fulfil atleast few of his promises? Comment below.
References
https://sociology.cornell.edu/news/new-yorks-wealthy-warn-tax-exodus-after-mamdanis-win-data-says-otherwise
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/turning-point-muslim-americans-claim-record-representation-across-us/3742152
https://www.mpl.org/local_history/milwaukeessocialisthistory.php#:~:text=Emil%20Seidel%20was%20elected%20from,Milwaukee%20version%20of%20pragmatic%20socialism.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/post-next/interactive/2026/zohran-mamdani/
https://abc7ny.com/live-updates/live-updates-nyc-mayor-zohran-mamdanis-first-100-days-office/18432260/
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/nyc-mayor-zohran-mamdani-pushing-204400327.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/nyregion/mamdani-free-buses-subway.html
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/08/trouble-in-paradise-trumps-free-bus-broadside-muddles-mamdani-bromance-00769959
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