New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani today announced the makeup of his all-female transition team. Ahead of the inauguration scheduled for January, Mamdani unveiled the team during a press conference in his neighborhood, Queens, underlining the desire to build “a capable and compassionate administration, guided by integrity”. Leading the group will be Elana Leopold, joined by former deputy mayors Maria Torres-Springer and Melanie Hartzog, along with Lina Khan, former chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and Grace Bonilla, president and CEO of United Way. “In the coming months, my team and I will build a city hall that delivers on this campaign promise,” Mamdani said. “We will build an administration that is prepared to work with the same dedication as the millions of New Yorkers who call this city home.” The presence of Lina Khan in the group represents one of the most significant choices of the new mayor. Known for her strong antitrust action at the helm of the FTC during the Biden administration, Khan is admired by both progressives and some populist Republicans. His appointment is interpreted as a clear signal of Mamdani’s intention to include reformist and independent figures within his future administration.
The victory of Mamdani, the first Muslim and Indian mayor in the history of New York, sparked heated reactions nationwide. From Miami, Donald Trump harshly criticized the result, calling the new government of the Big Apple a “communist regime”. “People will start to leave New York, they will flee the communist regime of Zohran Mamdani,” the former president said during an economic conference.
«Miami will also become a refuge for those fleeing from New York». Trump also said he would “take care” of the city, arguing that socialist Mamdani’s victory undermines the “sovereignty” of the United States. “We lost a little bit of sovereignty last night in New York, but we’ll deal with it, don’t worry,” he added. The former president had already threatened, in the days before the elections, to cut federal funding to the city if the thirty-year-old Democrat won.