Trump meets NYC Mayor-elect Mamdani in first White House visit

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
Today 00:32

In a wide-ranging White House meeting, US President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani discussed crime, immigration enforcement, Middle East policy, and the shared goal of reducing living costs in the city

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President Donald Trump shakes hands with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in the Oval Office of the White House on November 21, 2025. (AP)

US President Donald Trump hosted New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani at the White House on Friday, praising his election victory and describing their discussion as “very productive” and “great.”

Mamdani, a democratic socialist and political newcomer who surged to win New York’s mayoral race earlier this month, requested the meeting to focus on key city issues like cost of living and public safety.

Despite months of sharp rhetoric and ideological divides, the two appeared to strike a cordial tone during their first face-to-face encounter.

"We agreed on a lot more than I thought," Trump told reporters after their closed-door Oval Office meeting. "We have one thing in common: we want this city of ours that we love to do very well."

Trump backtracks on cutting funding to NYC

Seated at his desk, Trump smiled and congratulated Mamdani on his campaign success: "He really ran an incredible race against some very tough people, very smart people."

Mamdani echoed the positive tone, calling the meeting a "productive meeting focused on a place of shared admiration and love, which is New York City, and the need to deliver affordability to New Yorkers." He later told reporters: "I appreciated the conversation, I look forward to working together to deliver that affordability for the New Yorkers."

Trump, who has previously labeled Mamdani a "communist" and even threatened to strip federal aid from New York City, now appears to be reversing course. “The better he does the happier I am,” he said, adding “I don’t think that’s going to happen,” when asked whether he still planned to cut federal funding to the city.

Despite past attacks, Trump said he did not agree with comments from Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who had referred to Mamdani as a "jihadist candidate" during her gubernatorial campaign. “I met with a man who's a very rational person. I met with a man who really wants to see New York be great again," Trump expressed.

Mamdani: Cooperation With Conditions

The president even mused about his own former ties to the city, expressing he would have loved to be mayor.

While Mamdani has strongly opposed Trump’s stance on immigration and federal overreach, he reiterated his willingness to work together for the city's benefit:

"I intend to make it clear to President Trump that I will work with him on any agenda that benefits New Yorkers. If an agenda hurts New Yorkers, I will also be the first to say so."

Mamdani says voters want end to 'forever wars'

Trump and Mamdani also touched on the Middle East, with Trump reiterating that Hezbollah remains a "problem" in Lebanon and that the US seeks “total disarmament of Hamas.”

Mamdani stated that Trump voters he had spoken with supported an “end to forever wars" and “end to the taxpayer dollars we had funding violations of human rights."

He clarified his stance on Gaza in response to a reporter's claim he had accused the US of genocide:

“I’ve spoken about the Israeli government committing genocide and I’ve spoken about our government funding it,” Mamdani responded.

"We’re tired of seeing our tax dollars fund endless wars, and I also believe that we have to follow through on the international human rights, and I know that still today those are being violated, and that continues to be work that has to be done, no matter where we’re speaking of," Mamdani added.

Trump, for his part, avoided commenting directly on the accusation but reiterated that both leaders feel “very strongly about peace in the Middle East.”