Mamdani to Trump: NYC powered by immigrants, led by immigrant

"To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us," Mamdani said as he scripted history, becoming the first South Asian and Muslim to be elected to sit at the helm of the largest city in the US. "We refuse to let them dictate the rules of the game anymore. They can play by the same rules as the rest of us. Together, we will usher in a generation of change and if we embrace this brave new course, rather than fleeing from it, we can respond to oligarchy and authoritarianism with the strength it fears, not the appeasement it craves," he said. "After all, if anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him," Mamdani said. "And if there is any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power. This is not only how we stop Trump, it's how we stop the next one. So, Donald Trump, since I know you're watching, I have four words for you - Turn the volume up," he said to a thunderous applause from his supporters. "We will hold bad landlords to account because the Donald Trumps of our city have grown far too comfortable taking advantage of their tenants. We will put an end to the culture of corruption that has allowed billionaires like Trump to evade taxation and exploit tax breaks. We will stand alongside unions and expand labour protections, because we know, just as Donald Trump does, that when working people have ironclad rights, the bosses who seek to extort them become very small indeed. New York will remain a city of immigrants, a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants, and as of tonight, led by an immigrant. So hear me, President Trump, when I say this, to get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us," Mamdani declared. 

Mamdani said that his victory toppled a political dynasty, as he quoted the words of former Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru that with his win, the city has stepped out from the old into the new. 

Mamdani emerged victorious in the closely-watched New York City mayoral election, defeating political heavyweight former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa. -- PTI