Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Socialist who won the New York City mayoral election on Tuesday (local time), used his victory speech to take direct aim at U.S. President Donald Trump. Addressing a cheering crowd, Mamdani said the city’s result showed how to “defeat” Trump and promised that New York would serve as “a light in this moment of political darkness.” According to the Associated Press, 34-year-old Mamdani defeated former governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican contender Curtis Sliwa in a tight race, becoming the city’s first Muslim and one of its youngest mayors.

In his victory speech, Mamdani addressed Trump directly, declaring, “To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us.” He added, “So Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up!” The remark sparked loud applause and chants from supporters. Trump had previously threatened to cut off federal funds and impose federal oversight on the city if Mamdani won. He also called Mamdani a “100 percent communist lunatic” and warned that his victory signaled a “dangerous shift” for Democrats. Responding indirectly, Mamdani said, “New York will remain a city of immigrants — built by immigrants, powered by immigrants, and as of tonight, led by an immigrant.”

In his speech, Mamdani proudly reaffirmed his identity and politics. “I am young despite my best efforts to grow older. I am Muslim. I am a Democratic Socialist. And most damning of all, I refuse to apologize for any of this,” he declared, earning a standing ovation. He also addressed his opponent, Andrew Cuomo, thanking voters for “toppling a political dynasty.” Mamdani said, “I wish Andrew Cuomo only the best in private life. But let tonight be the last time I say his name as we turn the page on a politics that abandoned the many and answered only to the few.”

Quoting India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mamdani invoked the words from Nehru’s historic “Tryst with Destiny” speech: “A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance.”

Expressing gratitude to his supporters, Mamdani said, “It’s for all of you — more than 100,000 volunteers who built this campaign into an unstoppable force. Because of you, we will make this city one that working people can love and live in again.” He thanked his campaign team, his parents, and his wife, Rama, saying, “You made me who I am, and there’s no one I’d rather share this moment with.” Mamdani concluded by pledging to address New York’s soaring cost of living, one of his key campaign promises, and vowed to make the city affordable for working families once again.