Updated November 21, 2025 at 6:39 PM EST
In a highly anticipated face-to-face meeting, President Trump and New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani described their first in-person conversation as cordial and productive, a striking shift in tone after months of both leaders slinging political attacks at one another.
The White House sit-down on Friday marked a stark contrast for the two leaders. Trump has repeatedly sought to paint Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, as too extreme for the city that he long called home. In the president's announcement of the meeting on Truth Social earlier this week, Trump called Mamdani a "communist."
However, speaking to reporters after the meeting in the Oval Office, that antipathy was nowhere to be found. Trump praised Mamdani's campaign and pledged to work with him on shared policy concerns centered on the cost of living and reducing crime.
"I met with a man who's a very rational person. I met with a man who wants to see – really wants to see – New York be great again," said Trump, who was born in Queens, N.Y., the same borough that Mamdani partially represented in the State Assembly. "I'll be cheering for him."
Mamdani had previously called Trump a "despot," but standing to his side on Friday he echoed the president's interest in cooperating around shared goals.
"I enjoyed our conversation and I look forward to working together to deliver that affordability for New Yorkers," he said.
Over the course of just months, Mamdani's candidacy for mayor turned from a long-shot bid to a national movement, sparking interest far beyond New York in his progressive ideas, including freezing rent in rent-stabilized units, making city buses free and opening city-run grocery stores.
It's a platform that quickly caught the ire of many conservative leaders, notably Trump, who made no secret of his opposition to Mamdani following his upset win in June's Democratic primary.
In the lead-up to Election Day, Trump said he would arrest Mamdani if he disrupted ICE operations in the city, falsely suggested that Mamdani – a naturalized citizen – was living in the country illegally and threatened to pull the city's federal funding were Mamdani to win. He also endorsed Mamdani's rival in the race, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Over the course of his public appearance with Mamdani, Trump told reporters he was surprised by several broad areas of agreement that they shared.
"He wants to see no crime. He wants to see housing being built. He wants to see rents coming down, all things that I agree with," Trump said, while acknowledging that the two leaders "may disagree how we get there."
While it's unclear if the meeting will lead to a lasting working relationship, Friday's meeting seemed to signal at least a temporary break from the past rhetoric that defined their relationship.
Trump rose to Mamdani's defense on multiple occasions while speaking to reporters, declining to agree with conservative attacks calling Mamdani a "jihadist," and saying he would feel comfortable living in New York City under a Mamdani administration.
"We agree on a lot more than I would have thought," Trump explained. "I want him to do a great job, and we'll help him do a great job."
The president also made light of Mamdani's past comments, where he referred to the president as a "fascist." When reporters asked Mamdani to confirm, Trump interrupted and brushed off the label, telling the incoming mayor, "That's okay. You can just say yes."
"It's easier than explaining it," Trump added. "I don't mind."
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