Who is the man who turned America upside down?

Zohran Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, and lived briefly in South Africa before his family moved to New York, reports Sky News.

His mother is film director Mira Nair, and his father, Mahmud Mamdani, is a professor of anthropology at Columbia University.

Before entering politics, Mamdani was a rapper under the name "Young Cardamom" and later "Mr. Cardamom," even producing music for Disney films.

He married Rama Duvadzi, a Syrian-American artist he met through the dating app Hinge, earlier this year.

Mamdani has worked as a housing advisor, helping low-income homeowners fight eviction.

He was elected to the New York State Assembly in 2020, becoming the first man of South Asian and Ugandan descent in the body, and the third Muslim member.

During his term, he proposed free bus rides and childcare, building new housing, increasing the minimum wage funded by higher taxes on the wealthy, hiring thousands of new teachers, and freezing rent increases for regulated apartments.

He is also known for using social media to engage young voters, with millions of followers on Instagram and TikTok.

Mamdani has openly criticized Israel and supported a Palestinian state, advocating for significantly higher taxes on the wealthy.

His positions have caused divisions within the Democratic Party but earned support from Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Mamdani, calling him a “communist” and questioning his capability, while Mamdani actively criticized the Trump administration and pledged to defend immigrants and city autonomy.

In his victory speech, Mamdani addressed Trump: "If anyone can show the nation who Donald Trump betrayed how to defeat him, it is the city that raised him." During the speech, Trump responded on Truth Social: "And so it begins."

Mamdani won the New York mayoral election on Tuesday, and he will be sworn in on New Year’s Day.