NYC’s iconic trans subway announcer hosted Zohran Mamdani’s inauguration

Zohran Mamdani’s historic inauguration was announced by the New York City subway’s much-loved trans announcer.

The 34-year-old New Yorker promised a “new era” for the city after swearing-in as its youngest and first Muslim mayor during a ceremony on Thursday (1 January).

After swearing-in using the Qur’an, Mamdani said a “moment like this comes rarely and rarer still is it that the people themselves whose hands are upon the lever of change.”

New York’s first mayor of south Asian descent added that, in writing his remarks, he was told to lower his expectations but vowed to “do no such thing.”

“The only expectation I seek to reset is that of small expectations,” he added. “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.”

The ceremony was indeed a momentous occasion created for and by New Yorkers, with the city’s famed subway service announcer and trans woman, Bernie Wagenblast, narrating the proceedings as they unfolded.

The 69-year-old transportation journalist, who has likely told you to “stand clear of the platform edge” if you’ve ever been on an NYC subway train, revealed she was starting the new year on a “high note” by providing the voiceover for Mamdani’s inauguration in an X/Twitter post ahead of the proceedings.

Indeed, Mamdani confirmed moments before he was set to take the stage that Wagenblast’s voice would accompany the event, saying she was “pleased to join you and be the announcer this afternoon.”

With a career in all things transportation dating as far back as 1976, Wagenblast’s voice, both across NYC’s subway system and in the Transportation Communications Newsletter, which she founded in 1998, has become synonymous with the city’s most popular form of transportation.

Over a billion subway users likely listen to the voiceover artist’s announcements each year. She has also lent her voice to the PATH customer information line, the Port authority of New York and New Jersey’s main phone number, and was even the announcer during the laying of the first cornerstone of the One World Trade Center.

Wagenblast came out as a trans woman in January 2023, saying her full name was now Bernadette, but that she still liked to be called Bernie.

Zohran Mamdani passes sweeping executive order reversing previous mayor’s reforms

Following the ceremony, Mamdani wasted no time acting on his promises to reform New York City, signing a set of sweeping executive orders.

Among the three executive orders the mayor signed was a directive reversing all orders enforced by former NYC mayor Eric Adams after he was indicted on federal corruption charges in September 2024.

Adams became the first New York mayor to be indicted after he was accused accepting Turkish bribes in exchange for development opportunities in the city.

“That was a date that marked a moment when many New Yorkers decided politics held nothing for them,” Mamdani said.

A spokesperson for Mamdani’s office told the Guardian his directive would ensure a “fresh start” for the administration, noting that it also allows the mayor to reissue executive orders “that the administration feels are central to delivering continued service, excellence, and value-driven leadership.”