Washington/New York: In a surprising softening of tone, President Donald Trump said Sunday that he expects to sit down with New York City’s mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani, signaling the possibility of a thaw in what has been one of the country’s most high-profile political rivalries.
Speaking to reporters before departing Florida for Washington, Trump said the incoming mayor “would like to meet” and added, “We’ll work something out.” The remarks represent a notable shift for a president who has spent months attacking Mamdani on the campaign trail.
Trump had repeatedly painted Mamdani — a democratic socialist and former state lawmaker — as a danger to the city’s future, going so far as to call him a “communist,” despite the label being false. He also threatened to strip federal funding from New York and even suggested he might pursue deportation against Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and later became a U.S. citizen.
Mamdani, 34, leveraged Trump’s rhetoric during his campaign, turning himself into a viral political figure and rallying supporters around a platform that directly challenged the president’s hard-line immigration stance and his combative approach to the nation’s largest city. His decisive victory over former governor Andrew Cuomo, by nearly nine percentage points, capped a rapid rise from relative obscurity to national prominence.
On election night, Mamdani framed his win as part of a broader effort to push back against Trump’s agenda. But he also signaled a pragmatic streak, saying he would work with federal leaders — including the president — if doing so benefitted New Yorkers. In subsequent remarks, the mayor-elect said he intended to contact the White House because collaboration would be “critical” once he takes office in January.
Mamdani’s team offered no immediate response Sunday to Trump’s latest comments, but aides pointed to the mayor-elect’s past statements emphasizing his willingness to engage with the administration when necessary.
The White House moved quickly to clarify Trump’s remarks. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the president was referring to Mamdani and noted that any meeting was still in the planning stage. “We want to see everything work out well for New York,” Trump said.
The president’s remarks came during a broader exchange with reporters in which he also indicated that the U.S. may soon open discussions with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, following rising tensions and a recent military buildup near the South American nation. “I’ll talk to anybody,” Trump said, suggesting a more expansive diplomatic posture.
For New York’s incoming mayor, any meeting with Trump would carry both political risk and potential reward: cooperation with Washington could ease friction over funding and immigration enforcement, but it also complicates Mamdani’s identity as one of the country’s most prominent critics of the president.
Whether the two leaders can bridge their political divide remains an open question — but Trump’s sudden shift in tone marks the first sign that both sides may be preparing for a new phase in an already dramatic relationship.
