Even the US President Donald Trump Apparently he couldn’t resist the charms of Zohran Mamdani: The Republican seemed particularly taken with the New York mayoral candidate, whom he recently described as a “communist lunatic.”
“You have a chance to do something great,” Trump enthused, shaking Mamdani repeated his remarks and praised his “extraordinary election campaign against a lot of smart people.” The White House meetings behind closed doors were “very good” and “very productive,” the 79-year-old said.
They give in front of the camera republic and the 34-year-old left-wing Democratic Party politician, who has called for higher taxes on the rich and corporations and called Trump a “fascist,” paints a remarkably harmonious picture. In his office, the Oval Office, Trump repeatedly nodded in agreement and smiled at Mamdani while he stood beside him with his arms folded – an appearance hardly reminiscent of the sharp rhetoric of the campaign in recent months.
Trump: Mamdani is a “very rational person”
Mamdani’s term of office officially begins on January 1, 2026, one minute after midnight (local time). When asked whether he, as a billionaire, would feel comfortable under the leadership of the new mayor, New York-born Trump, who has lived there for decades, answered without hesitation: “Absolutely.” Especially after this meeting, he added.
When asked about Islamophobic attacks from within his party, Trump explained that such a tone was part of his agenda Election campaign. Mamdani is “a very rational person”. He would be the first Muslim to rule the most populous city in the United States. During the election campaign, he was denounced as a “jihadist” by a Republican.
As mayor, Mamdani will be responsible for the east coast metropolis’ $116 billion budget and will be in charge of hundreds of thousands of city officials.
Mamdani: “We really appreciate our time with the President”
Before the White House meeting, given its sharp tone, there was speculation about how the meeting would go. Trump, among others, described Mamdani as a “one hundred percent crazy communist” and threatened New York withdraw federal funds. Now it all sounds like it’s forgotten. “We have one thing in common,” Trump said. “We want our beloved city to develop well.”
Mamdani himself stated that he had spoken with Trump specifically about the financial burden on daily life in New York. “We live in the wealthiest city in history, yet one in five people can’t even afford a $2.90 train ticket,” the mayor-elect said. It’s about rent, high food prices and energy costs. “I really appreciated the time with the President,” said Mamdani. He is looking forward to working together.
“Serving New Yorkers” together
During the election campaign and election night, the Democratic Party sharply attacked the US President. However, that no longer seems to be a problem for Trump. When asked, the Republican joked that he had been called something much worse than a “despot.” “Maybe he will change his mind after we work together.”
Mamdani responded that their respective positions had been “explained very clearly” to each other. What he appreciated about Trump was that the meeting was not about “a multitude of differences of opinion” but rather about “a shared goal of serving New Yorkers.”
Trump is a fascist? Trump: “You can say yes”
When the mayor-elect was asked if he would continue to call Trump a fascist, he began to explain. But Trump interrupted him and said, patting Mamdani’s arm: “It’s OK. You just say yes. It’s easier than explaining.”
Trump’s Vice President JD Vance was enthusiastic about his response: The president has had many good moments, he wrote on the X platform about a video clip of the exchange. “But this one is a real classic.”
Concerns about ICE actions: The problem of migration conflict
However, it may be clear to both politicians that disagreements are still possible in the future. In New York, for example, there are concerns that Trump will, as he has recently done in other cities, order the deployment of the National Guard or support increased raids and arrests by ICE immigration authorities. ICE has created fear among many migrants. On the eve of his election victory, Mamdani stressed that New York would remain a city of immigrants. “To get to one of us, you have to get through to all of us,” he told Trump.
In the Oval Office, both parties assured that they want to cooperate on security in the metropolis. But despite all the consensus, it is this topic that highlights the potential for future conflict: Trump has repeatedly called migrants criminals and has now declared that “murderers and drug dealers” must be removed from the city. Mamdani, on the other hand, emphasized that the goal is to protect the people of New York. At the same time, many New Yorkers were unsure of the actions of federal authorities.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:251122-930-325043/1
