Mamdani's inauguration fuels debate over Gen Z shift toward socialism, away from free markets

New York City’s new mayor wasted little time drawing ideological lines, using his swearing-in ceremony to double down on campaign promises filled with government-led solutions — a sharp contrast with free-market principles Republicans warn are increasingly under threat amid an evolving understanding of socialism among younger audiences.

"We will draw this city closer together," Zohran Mamdani, a socialist, said at his ceremony on Thursday. "We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.