New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is standing by his description of President Trump as a “fascist,” even after Friday’s face-to-face meeting at the White House.
Mr. Mamdani was asked by reporters if he still believes the president fits that label. Before he could answer, Mr. Trump interjected: “That’s OK, you can just say ‘yes.’ It’s easier than explaining. I don’t mind.”
Appearing Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” the mayor-elect confirmed that he has not changed his view.
“It’s something that I’ve said in the past,” said Mr. Mamdani, an avowed democratic socialist. “I say it today.”
“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,” he said.
The meeting at the White House followed months of sharp attacks between the two men.
Mr. Trump branded Mr. Mamdani a “communist,” “radical,” and a “lunatic.” Mr. Trump warned that Mr. Mamdani would be terrible for New York City. He also threatened to withhold federal funds from the city if Mr. Mamdani won.
Mr. Mamdani also repeatedly knocked Mr. Trump.
In his election victory speech, Mr. Mamdani described the Republican as a “despot” who has betrayed the nation, and who is emblematic of the culture of corruption.
Despite the heated rhetoric, the two men played nice during their meeting at the White House.
“I expect to be helping him, not hurting him — a big help because I want New York City to be great,” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Mamdani reiterated Sunday that he plans to work with Mr. Trump to address the affordability issues that were the centerpiece of his campaign.
“I found in the meeting that I had with the president a productive one and a meeting that came back again and again to the central themes of the campaign that we ran: the cost of housing, cost of child care, the cost of groceries, the cost of utilities,” he said. “And it showed that this is an opportunity to now start to deliver so that people can do more than just aspire to struggle in New York City, but actually to be able to live there.”
