Washington DC: President Donald Trump struck an unexpectedly relaxed tone during his meeting with New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, even brushing aside the criticism Mamdani had directed at him during the election campaign. According to CNN, Trump said he was “okay” with Mamdani continuing to use the term “fascist” for him, a label the mayor-elect had previously used at rallies.
When a reporter asked Mamdani if he still agreed with his earlier remarks, he began to respond cautiously. Before he could finish, Trump stepped in, saying, “That’s okay. You can just say yes. It’s easier than explaining it. I don’t mind.”
Despite the charged political history between them, Trump described their Oval Office meeting as “great” and “very productive.” He congratulated Mamdani on his win and said both leaders shared common concerns, particularly around rising living costs and the need for rapid housing development.
“We’ve just had a great meeting… a really good, very productive meeting,” Trump said, according to CNN. “One thing in common—we want this city of ours that we love to do very well. We talked about housing, getting more housing built, food prices, and the price of oil coming way down.”
The president also suggested that Mamdani might exceed expectations across the political spectrum. “I think you’re going to have, hopefully, a really great mayor. The better he does, the happier I am… I think he is going to surprise some conservative people, actually, and some very liberal people,” Trump added.
Standing beside Trump, Mamdani said the conversation centred on the urgent cost-of-living challenges pushing New Yorkers out of the city. He noted that the talks focused on shared concerns, despite their political differences.
“I appreciated the meeting with the president… it was a productive meeting focused on a shared admiration and love for New York City,” Mamdani said, according to CNN. “We spoke about rent, groceries, utilities, and the different ways in which people are being pushed out. I look forward to working together to deliver greater affordability for New Yorkers.”
