President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani held what appeared to be a friendly meeting at the White House on Friday.
“I think he is going to surprise some conservative people, actually, and some very liberal people,” Trump said. “He won’t surprise them because they already like him.”
The tone marked a stark contrast from the campaign, when Trump had called Mamdani a communist and Mamdani had called the president a fascist.
Mamdani was asked about those comments while standing next to the president in the Oval Office, and Trump stepped in to defend him.
“I’ve been called much worse,” Trump said with a smile.
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Both leaders said their meeting focused on areas of agreement, including how to make New York City more affordable.
“We had some interesting conversations, and some of his ideas really are the same ideas that I have,” Trump said.
Mamdani appeared gracious toward the president, saying he wants to work with the federal government and noting that many of his voters also supported Trump.
“New York City loves a future that is affordable. And I can tell you that there were more New Yorkers who voted for President Trump in the most recent presidential election because of that focus on cost of living, and I’m looking forward to working together to deliver on that,” Mamdani said.
There were also topics the two did not address publicly, including immigration raids and criticism of Israel. Both said they may have differences, but are focused on common ground.
“This is a man that, right now, I think, is focused on New York City. I really think he has a chance to do a great job,” Trump said. “We’re going to help him, but I really think he has a chance to do a great job.”
