Zohran Mamdani: The First 100 Days

“Beginning today, we will govern expansively and audaciously. We may not always succeed. But never will we be accused of lacking the courage to try”

In the past 30 days, Zohran Mamdani always dared to try. His consistent visibility, progressive agenda, and challenge of the old political conduct designed to ensure institutional stability have proven to be an effective strategy to navigate a hostile political landscape.

His appointments and initiatives have been notably strategic. The balance of old hands and newcomers all have experience in defending the areas now under attack by the federal administration. His new senior policy advisor, Ramzi Kassem, has challenged federal immigration policy, most notably through his defense of Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil. Rafael Espinal has defended freelance contractors, a workforce under the looming impact of Donald Trump’s Schedule F and heightened federal tax compliance requirements. The initiatives providing free, in-person and virtual tax preparation services, free child care for two-year-olds, and $5 million in restitution for violations affecting nearly 50,000 workers have bolstered his ability to get things done.

Yet even as these wins accumulate, the administration faces mounting challenges. $2.2 billion shortfall for fiscal 2026 and a $10.4 billion gap for fiscal 2027, historic weather phenomena that have claimed the lives of 17 New Yorkers, and the federal overreach on continued ICE operations due to the removal of TPS status for close to a dozen countries, test whether visibility and resolve can translate into long-term structural stability.

In all, the successes and pitfalls are all recognized at the podium, with the orange-and-blue perpetual flip calendar beside him reinforcing the administration’s emphasis on time, accountability, and momentum. It is a reminder of the final sentence of his inaugural address: “The work continues, the work endures, the work, my friends, has only just begun.”