President Trump on Friday offered praise for New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani after what the two called a “productive” meeting at the White House, a sharp shift from Trump’s previous attacks when he repeatedly derided Mamdani as a “communist.”
“I think you’re going to have, hopefully, a really great mayor. The better he does, the happier I am,” Trump said from the Oval Office with Mamdani standing beside him. “There’s no difference in party, there’s no difference in anything. And we’re going to be helping him to make everybody’s dream come true. Having a strong and very safe New York.”
Trump later referred to Mamdani as “rational” and that he would be cheering for him once he takes office.
Trump said the two men discussed housing and bringing down the price of food and energy.
Mamdani said the two leaders spoke about immigration enforcement in the city. Mamdani has raised concerns about the deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) around New York.
Asked specifically about his past attacks on Mamdani calling him a “communist,” Trump suggested the mayor-elect may change his views and even impress some conservatives.
“He’s got views that are a little out there, but who knows. I mean, we’re going to see what works. He’s going to change, also. I changed a lot,” Trump said. “I feel very confident that he can do a very good job. I think he is going to surprise some conservative people, actually.”
Mamdani was asked about his criticisms of Trump, which included calling him a “despot.” Mamdani argued he and Trump were in agreement on the issue of affordability and bringing down costs despite ideological disagreements.
“I’ve been called much worse than a despot,” Trump said.
The amicable appearance between the two men came as something of a shock given the past rhetoric between the two men.
Trump spent months railing against Mamdani, who is a Democratic Socialist, as a “communist” and threatening to withhold federal funding from New York City if Mamdani implemented certain policies. Trump urged voters in the final days of the campaign to back former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) in the mayoral race.
Mamdani centered his campaign on the issue of affordability and bringing down costs, an issue that helped carry Democrats to victories in statewide elections in Virginia and New Jersey. But the mayor-elect has also vowed to push back on any efforts by Trump to cut off federal funding or impose federal pressure on the city.