President Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani put on a display of warmth and mutual respect in the Oval Office after fiercely criticizing each other during the Democratic socialist’s mayoral campaign earlier this month.
The two men greeted reporters after their closed-door meeting Friday to send a united message on affordability, insisting they are on the same page on issues ranging from crime to grocery prices.
“We’ve just had a great meeting, a really good, very productive meeting,” Mr. Trump said, adding that they both have “one thing in common — we want this city of ours that we love to do very well.”
“The better he does, the happier I am,” Mr. Trump said. “There’s no difference in party, there’s no difference in anything.”
Mr. Mamdani said the meeting was “productive” and that the two discussed issues of affordability in New York, which was the focus of his campaign.
“I appreciated the meeting with the president, and as he said, it was a productive meeting focused on a place of shared admiration and love, New York City,” Mr. Mamdani said. “We spoke about rent, we spoke about groceries, we spoke about utilities. We spoke about the different ways in which people are being pushed out, and I appreciated the time with the president. I appreciated the conversation. I look forward to working together to deliver that affordability for New Yorkers.”
Just a few weeks ago, Mr. Trump accused Mr. Mamdani of being a communist and even endorsed longtime political foe Andrew Cuomo in a last-ditch attempt to derail Mr. Mamdani’s campaign.
“It’s going to be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York,” Mr. Trump said at the time. “Because if you have a communist running New York, all you’re doing is wasting the money you’re sending there.”
At his victory speech on election night, Mr. Mamdani referred to the president as a despot.
“If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him,” Mr. Mamdani said at the time. “And if there is any way to defeat a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power.”
When asked about those comments on Friday, Mr. Trump replied, “I’ve been called much worse than a despot, so it’s not that insulting.”
Mr. Trump repeatedly highlighted common areas of agreement, saying the two “have more in common than I thought.” The president ticked off building more housing in New York, decreasing crime and lowering prices as policies both have in common.
“He wants to see no crime. He wants to see housing built. He wants to see rents coming down,” Mr. Trump said. “All things that I agree with.”
The president said Mr. Mamdani “could do some things that are going to be really great.” He even said he would consider moving back to New York City to live under a Mamdani administration.
The Oval Office meeting was requested by Mr. Mamdani, the 34-year-old whose stunning triumph in the mayoral race over Mr. Cuomo, the former governor, has put him at the center of American politics.
“I will work with anyone to make life more affordable for the more than eight and a half million people who call the city home,” Mr. Mamdani said ahead of the meeting.
Mr. Trump said that he won’t withhold funding because he wants to see Mr. Mamdani and New York succeed. The positive response was a shift from the White House’s messaging earlier this week.
When asked on Thursday if Mr. Trump could cut off New York City, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded, “We’ll see how the meeting goes tomorrow.”
Mr. Trump also needed the meeting to go well. The president’s approval rating has dropped in numerous polls, with respondents expressing frustration over the high cost of living.
Democrats won four critical elections earlier this month, campaigning relentlessly on the issue of affordability, which has vexed Mr. Trump, who has insisted prices have already come down.
