Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Wednesday that he has finally obtained federal security clearance, just one week after his notably friendly meeting with President Trump at Gracie Mansion.
The timing of the approval remains unclear. The clearance allows New York City’s mayor to receive classified briefings about possible terrorist threats and other sensitive information involving the Big Apple.
“Yes, I have my security clearance,” Mamdani said in a notably brief reply to a reporter during an unrelated news conference in Brooklyn.
The delay had drawn attention earlier this month, when it was revealed that Mamdani still lacked the highest-level clearance more than eight months after taking office. That raised questions about whether he could respond swiftly to a major emergency.
Mamdani did not specify when he was informed that his clearance had been approved.
The announcement came after Trump visited Mamdani at the mayor’s Manhattan residence during last week’s United Nations General Assembly.
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The two men said their Sept. 21 meeting focused only on New York City and possible housing initiatives, continuing the unusually warm rapport they have displayed in recent months.
People familiar with the process have said the months-long wait for Mamdani, a 34-year-old former state Assembly member, was not unusual given his relatively limited government experience.
Mamdani was not the only New York mayor to lack access to classified briefings.
Former Mayor Eric Adams lost his clearance after being charged in a historic federal indictment, a case later dismissed by the Justice Department under Trump.
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio, whom Mamdani has called his favorite living mayor, did not apply for clearance until roughly nine months into his administration, after The Post reported that he had failed to complete the required paperwork.
De Blasio ultimately secured approval the following year, more than 18 months into his first term.
