Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Wednesday that he has finally obtained federal security clearance, roughly a week after hosting President Trump for a friendly meeting at Gracie Mansion.
The timing of the approval remains unclear. The clearance allows Mamdani to receive classified briefings about potential terrorist threats and other highly sensitive intelligence involving New York City.
“Yes, I have my security clearance,” Mamdani said in a notably brief response to a reporter during an otherwise unrelated news conference in Brooklyn.
The mayor’s lack of access to such briefings became a political issue earlier this month, when it was revealed that he still lacked top-level clearance more than eight months into his administration. The disclosure prompted concern about whether he could respond swiftly to a major emergency.
Mamdani did not disclose when he was notified that his application had been approved.
The clearance news followed Trump’s visit with Mamdani at the mayor’s Manhattan residence during the United Nations General Assembly last week.
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The pair said their Sept. 21 meeting focused solely on New York City and possible housing developments, extending the unlikely political rapport they have publicly displayed in recent months.
People familiar with the process said the months-long delay in clearing Mamdani, a 34-year-old former state Assembly member, was not unusual given his relatively limited government experience.
Mamdani was not the first New York mayor to lack access to classified briefings.
Former Mayor Eric Adams lost his clearance after his historic federal indictment, which was later dismissed by the Trump Justice Department.
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. The Post previously reported that he had failed to submit the required applications.
De Blasio eventually received approval the following year, more than 18 months into his first term.