The two political foes struck a surprisingly cordial and respectful tone during the back-and-forth on Friday.
President Trump hosted incoming New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at the White House on Sunday afternoon, marking the first time the New York native President and the self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist have met. Since Mamdani’s meteoric rise, the two have sparred repeatedly, with Trump calling Mamdani a “communist” and Mamdani labeling the President as a “fascist” and “despot.” During the meeting, Mamdani remained clear about his progressive agenda, including a $30 minimum wage, rent freezes and government-run grocery stores.
“We had a really great meeting. We agreed on a lot more than I would have thought. I want him to do a great job, and we’ll help him do a great job,” President Trump said after the meeting. The two maintained cordial tones throughout the meeting, and at times were reportedly friendly. Mamdani said after the meeting he “appreciated” President Trump’s focus on cost of living, and pledged to work with the White House on common ground to aid New York.
Mamdani, despite his friendly tone, did not back down on his criticisms of President Trump’s administration after their face-to-face. On Sunday, Mamdani told Meet the Press host Kristen Welker he still believes Trump is a fascist, and his opinions have not changed since the meeting. He also told NBC New York would remain a sanctuary city, and promised he would not back down from fighting the President’s immigration agenda. At one point during the Friday meeting, a reporter asked Mamdani whether he thought President Trump was a fascist, to which the President cut in and quipped “you can just say yes. It’s easier than explaining.”
“I think what I appreciated about the conversation that I had with the president was that we were not shy about the places of disagreement, about the politics that has brought us to this moment, and we also wanted to focus on what it could look like to deliver on a shared analysis of an affordability crisis for New Yorkers,” Mamdani said on Sunday. “I’m not coming into the Oval Office to make a point or make a stand. I’m coming in there to deliver for New Yorkers.” He told Trump during the meeting that New Yorkers care about the two of them working together, rather than trading barbs, and complimented the President on his successful showing in New York in the most recent election.
Trump told reporters after the Friday meeting that he found it “surprisingly productive” and added he believed Mamdani would change his mind about him once the two began working together to help New Yorkers. But Trump made clear the areas where he and Mamdani strongly disagree, and repeated his assertion Mamdani is a communist in his endorsement of Andrew Cuomo just 24 hours before the election.
“I’ve been called much worse than a despot,” Trump said. “I think he’ll change his mind after we get to working together.” National Economic Council Chair Kevin Hassett echoed Trump’s words, and called for a strong working relation between the two.
“I think that if Mamdani cares as much as he appears to for the people of New York, President Trump obviously does, I think that there’s a lot of positive work that can be done together,” Hassett said. He added the focus on affordability was a positive but said he believed more work needed to be done to make those policies hold up.
