United States President Donald Trump welcomed New York’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to the White House, describing their meeting as highly productive and constructive. Mamdani said he appreciated the opportunity to meet the president and looked forward to working together. He added that the meeting focused on shared goals. The encounter marked the first face-to-face meeting between the two men following months of public exchanges and mutual hostility.
Inside the Oval Office, Trump, aged 79, told reporters on Friday evening that he believes Mamdani, aged 34, will be “a great mayor” for New York City. Trump also stated that he did not discuss whether Mamdani would order the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Gaza—should he visit New York.
Trump went on to praise Mamdani, who stood beside him as the president sat at his desk. After dismissing claims that Mamdani was “a jihadist”, Trump described him as “a very rational man who wants very much to see New York great again”.
The president added that the meeting surprised him, noting that “we may disagree on the methods, but we agree on the goal”. He stressed that several of Mamdani’s ideas were similar to his own, saying: “We share one common objective. We want to see improvement in our city that we love.”
Trump affirmed that Mamdani has the opportunity to achieve something significant for New York and that he needs federal assistance, which Trump promised to provide. “I expect to help Mayor-elect Mamdani, not hinder him,” he said.
The two also discussed affordable housing, grocery prices, and basic utilities. Mamdani successfully channelled voter frustration over inflation to win the election, in a manner similar to Trump’s victory in 2024.
Trump added that they discussed the involvement of immigration authorities in New York and the enforcement of federal immigration law, emphasising its impact on the city. “The better he performs, the happier I will be,” Trump said. “We will help him fulfil everyone’s aspirations.”
Mamdani’s Position
Mamdani, who will officially assume office in January, said he appreciated meeting President Trump and was eager to collaborate. He stated that they discussed shared goals.
He informed President Trump of the concerns held by many New Yorkers and of their desire to see taxpayers’ money used for their benefit. He also spoke about Israel committing genocide with American funding, adding that he shared Trump’s view that “our money should serve our citizens”.
The mayor-elect added: “I spoke with the president about our desire not only to follow our city’s laws but to ensure our policies are aligned across all levels.” He pointed specifically to the issue of federal immigration involvement and its consequences for New York.
Mamdani reaffirmed his political identity during his remarks to journalists, saying: “I am a democratic socialist, and I have always been transparent about that.”
He added: “What I truly appreciated about the president is that our meeting did not revolve around the many points of disagreement. It also focused on the shared objective that unites us in serving the people of New York.”
A History of Hostile Rhetoric
During his victory speech earlier this month, Mamdani—who rose rapidly from being an obscure Queens representative to the mayor-elect of the country’s largest city—said he wanted New York to show the nation how to defeat the president.
In past exchanges, Trump had described Mamdani as a “100 percent crazy communist” and “mentally deranged”, while Mamdani labelled Trump’s administration “authoritarian”, calling himself “Donald Trump’s worst nightmare”.
However, their first meeting on Friday at the White House centred on shared goals rather than the explosive disputes that had previously defined their relationship.
