US President Donald Trump and New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani met in the Oval Office on Wednesday, a meeting that many expected to be tense given the past exchanges during the campaign. Instead, the tone was surprisingly friendly, with both focusing on the city’s affordability crisis and putting aside their earlier feelings towards each other.
Donald Trump meets Zohran Mamdani | key takeaways
Trump says, ‘I ‘ll be cheering for Mamdani’
Instead of trading barbs, Trump praised Mamdani repeatedly. He said he believed Mamdani could be “a really great mayor” and that he was “confident he can do a very good job.” At one point, Trump called Mamdani “a very rational person” and said he expected Mamdani to do things that would be “really great” for the city. “I met with a man who … really wants to see New York be great again.”
Trump even surprised everyone by saying he would “be cheering for him.” He added that he would feel comfortable living in New York City under a Mamdani administration.
Trump says he doesn’t view Mamdani as a ‘jihadist’
During the mayoral race, Mamdani called Trump a “despot.” Trump’s team and some allies had labelled Mamdani a communist. A reporter even quoted Representative Elise Stefanik asking if someone would be “standing next to a jihadist” in the Oval Office. Yet, when the two stood side by side at the press briefing, both appeared far more relaxed. Trump smiled a lot and seemed amused when reporters raised those old attacks.
When a reporter asked whether Trump thought he was standing next to a “jihadist”, Trump answered, “No, I don’t.” He dismissed the idea that Mamdani is a jihadist and told reporters that in campaigns, “you say things sometimes.” He described Stefanik as “a very capable person,” but said her remarks were hers.
Mamdani and Trump on ‘fascist’ remark
When asked whether Mamdani still thought Trump was a “fascist,” Trump cut Mamdani off mid-sentence, saying, “That’s OK, you can just say yes, it’s easier than explaining,” tapping him on the arm and smiling. Mamdani and Trump both steered many questions back to common ground instead of dwelling on old attacks. Trump’s only mild pushback was noting that Mamdani had “views that are a little out there,” but he quickly moved on.
Common New York roots
Both politicians found common ground. Both have ties to Queens — Trump to Jamaica Estates and Mamdani to Astoria. Mamdani described their meeting as a moment of shared admiration and love for New York City. Trump said that in another life he might have liked to be mayor, and he repeatedly praised the idea of New York “being great” if Mamdani succeeds.
What truly united them was the cost-of-living crisis. Mamdani ran his mayoral campaign on housing and affordability. He told reporters that in their meeting, they spoke about rent, groceries, utilities and how people are being pushed out of the city. Trump, who campaigned on inflation and economic concerns, agreed the issue mattered. Both said they would work on delivering affordability for New Yorkers.
Crime, immigration and the limits of the truce
Mamdani raised worries about how federal immigration enforcement is being carried out in the city. Trump said they talked more about crime than immigration and added that neither of them wants to see crime rise.
Trump’s warm words for Mamdani could complicate Republican plans to use him as a foil in the 2026 midterms. Republicans had tried to cast Mamdani as the new face of a left-leaning Democratic Party, and some had attacked him fiercely. But Trump’s praise, calling him competent and saying he could surprise conservatives, undercuts those attacks.
