Fresh off his victory in the New York City mayoral race, Zohran Mamdani announced his transition team in Queens on Wednesday morning.

"The poetry of campaigning may have come to a close last night at 9 p.m., but the beautiful prose of governing has only just begun. The hard work of improving New Yorkers' lives starts now," Mamdani said. 

Mamdani, who will be the city's first Muslim mayor, said he will form his administration, including deputy mayors and commissioners, in the near future. 

"Central to that effort is a transition team that is defined by the excellence New Yorkers will soon come to expect from government," Mamdani said.

Mamdani wants "seamless" transition from Adams administration

Mamdani announced Elana Leopold will lead his transition team, joined by former FTC Commissioner Lena Khan, former First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, United Way CEO Grace Bonilla, and former Deputy Mayor Melanie Hartzog.

"We will form an administration that is in equal parts capable and compassionate, driven by integrity. And willing to work just as hard as the millions of New Yorkers who call this city home," Mamdani said.

Torres-Springer was among the Adams administration members that resigned after the Department of Justice moved to drop corruption charges against outgoing Mayor Eric Adams.

Mamdani said he wants the transition between administrations to be "seamless," but showed a love-hate relationship with Adams. He slammed the current mayor for seeking to impede his promise to freeze rents.

"[Adams] has gone so far as to consider appointing someone to the Rent Guidelines Board who is known for being a star, I think, on a show called 'Selling New York,' and in many ways, that's the description of what he wants to do over these next few months," Mamdani said.

He did admit, however, Adams had some praiseworthy accomplishments, including the "City of Yes" housing construction plan that was overseen by Torres-Springer. He also singled out the garbage containerization program, the brainchild of NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch when she was sanitation commissioner.

"We'll help him," President Trump says

Mamdani also spoke about President Trump, who has made no secret of his antipathy for Mamdani.

"When I speak about Trump-proofing this city, I speak about protecting those with the least from the consequences of a man with the most power in this country," he said.

The mayor-elect all but declared war on Mr. Trump during his victory speech.

"I thought it was a very angry speech, certainly angry toward me, and I think he should be very nice to me," Mr. Trump said in an interview on Fox News.

He added, "He has to be a little bit respectful of Washington, because if he's not, he doesn't have a chance of succeeding, and I want to make him succeed. I want to make the city succeed. I don't want to make him succeed, I want to make the city succeed, and we'll see what happens."

Mamdani seemed to be willing to call a truce with the president, if that's possible.

"And that is exactly the approach that I will take, is when President Trump wants to do something that will benefit this city, I will be there to say as much," he said. "But if he is looking to persecute or prosecute or punish the people of this city by virtue of who they are or where they live or where they came from, then I will fight him on that."

Mamdani added, "I will not mince my words when it comes to President Trump."

CAIR blasts ADL's move to set up Mamdani monitor 

Mamdani made his announcement at the Unisphere in Flushing Meadows, where, in 1947, the United Nations signed a pact that created the state of Israel. So was he trying to send a message to Jewish New Yorkers?

"I look forward to being the mayor for every person that calls this city home. That includes the Jewish New Yorkers that voted for our campaign and those that didn't. My responsibility is to all 8.5 million New Yorkers, and we chose this location as a reflection of the borough that I serve, and the fact that we are proud to be known as the world's borough, and for far too long that embrace of so much of what makes New York City special, so much of what makes it the place that we are proud to call it our home, it has been missing in our leaders in this city," Mamdani said. "I am excited to be the first immigrant to lead this city in generations and excited more, frankly, to deliver on an agenda of affordability alongside these incredible co-chairs for New Yorkers across the five boroughs."

Mamdani has refused to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, which is why his election is reverberating in the Jewish community.

The Anti-Defamation League announced Wednesday it will be tracking appointments in the Mamdani administration.

"The Mamdani monitor is a dashboard, and it will look at the people that Mayor-elect Mamdani is surrounding himself with, and we'll look at the policies that he's putting in place and assess whether or not that could possibly have an impact on antisemitism," said Scott Richman, regional director for ADL New York/New Jersey.

The group cited what it called unprecedented antisemitism in New York City. 

"Mayor-Elect Mamdani has promoted antisemitic narratives, associated with individuals who have a history of antisemitism, and demonstrated intense animosity toward the Jewish state that is counter to the views of the overwhelming majority of Jewish New Yorkers. We are deeply concerned that those individuals and principles will influence his administration at a time when we are tracking a brazen surge of harassment, vandalism and violence targeting Jewish residents and institutions in recent years," ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said. "We expect the mayor of the city with the largest Jewish population in the world to stand unequivocally against antisemitism in all its varied forms and support all of its Jewish residents just as he would all other constituents. We will hold the Mamdani Administration accountable to this basic standard."

The Council on American-Islamic Relations blasted the ADL's move. 

"The ADL has never established a special monitor to harass any other elected official, including politicians who have actually expressed real bigotry against Jewish Americans. Singling out Mayor-elect Mamdani is an act of hypocrisy and anti-Muslim bigotry, pure and simple. We strongly condemn the ADL's increasingly unhinged, desperate attacks on American Muslims and other advocates for Palestinian human rights, and we call on New York community leaders to do the same," CAIR said in a statement.

Mamdani said he wants to work with Jewish leaders.

"I think that anyone is free to catalog the actions of our administration," he said.

At his news conference, Mamdani outlined a list of people he'd like to meet with, including Mr. Trump, to discuss mutual ways they could help the city, Adams to ensure a smooth transition, Tisch to see if she'll consider staying on, and business leaders like Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase. 

FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker resigns

Meanwhile, some administration changes are already coming to light. FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker said he would resign, effective Dec. 19. An FDNY spokesperson said that was in part due to the change in administration. 

"Commissioner Robert Tucker has led the Fire Department of the City of New York with courage, passion, and a sincere dedication to public safety. When I appointed Commissioner Tucker to this critical role, I knew he'd have the experience, grit, and zeal to protect our city and support our fearless heroes -- the firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and paramedics who put their lives on the line for New York every day. Under his leadership, we've decreased fire-related deaths in our city to the lowest in a decade, modernized the FDNY, and empowered the brave men and women who keep our city safe. We are incredibly grateful for Commissioner Tucker's service and look forward to seeing what he'll do next," Adams said.

Cuomo reportedly did not make concession call to Mamdani

The election may be over, but not the bitterness.

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent, apparently never made a concession call to Mamdani.

In his Election Night speech, Cuomo did congratulate Mamdani and even shushed his supporters when they started booing at the mention of Mamdani's name.

"That is not right, and that is not us," Cuomo said.

Mamdani also mentioned Cuomo in his victory speech.

"I wish Andrew Cuomo only the best in private life, but let tonight be the final time I utter his name, as we turn the page on a politics that abandons the many and answers only to the few," he said.

When asked about a concession phone call, a spokesman for Cuomo said, "I'll let their respective speeches be the measuring stick for grace and leave it at that."

Mamdani's meteoric rise

Mamdani rocketed to victory Tuesday night, coming from relative obscurity as an assemblyman to being elected the city's 111th mayor, where he will be entrusted with what many consider the second-toughest job in elected office in the nation. 

Mamdani, 34, defeated Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa. He also overcame objections by Mr. Trump, who has repeatedly threatened to withhold federal funds from the city if Mamdani won. 

The central theme of Mamdani's campaign focused on the cost of living. He has promised to freeze rent for 2 million stabilized tenants, free buses citywide, universal child care, city-run grocery stores and a new Department of Community Safety, to help address the mentally ill and homeless crises.