Mayor Zohran Mamdani has the federal security clearance he waited nine months to get, days after welcoming President Donald Trump to Gracie Mansion.
"I have my security clearance now," Mamdani told reporters Wednesday at an unrelated press conference in Brooklyn. The clearance lets him review classified documents. Until now, he relied on NYPD briefings.
The timing is hard to miss. Trump visited Mamdani at the mayor's residence during the UN General Assembly and the clearance came about a week later. City Hall said Mamdani did not raise the issue with the president. There is no indication the meeting played a role, and the Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the delay.
The wait was far longer than it was for predecessors Eric Adams and Michael Bloomberg. Trump has revoked clearances for political adversaries, including New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
The reversal in tone between the two men is stark. Mamdani repeatedly called Trump a "despot" and a "fascist" last year, but the relationship has since turned cordial after meetings at the White House and Gracie Mansion.
Mamdani's team says the delay did not leave the city exposed. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and chief counsel Ramzi Kassem already held clearances, and a City Hall source said Mamdani has not yet needed a classified briefing this year.
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio said earlier this month that it is "vitally important" for a mayor to have one.
Mamdani's security record has been under scrutiny. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the UN General Assembly that Jewish residents no longer feel safe in the city under his leadership. Mamdani then rolled out a $26 million antisemitism plan that omitted a formal definition of the term and drew immediate pushback.
