Key points
- President Donald Trump and Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani held their first face-to-face meeting in the Oval Office, defying expectations of a confrontational encounter.
- Trump had earlier branded Mamdani a “100 per cent communist lunatic” and “total nut job,” while Mamdani called Trump’s administration “authoritarian” and described himself as his “worst nightmare.”
- The meeting focused on New York’s affordability crisis, including high rents, housing shortages, grocery and utility costs and public safety.
- Trump praised Mamdani as a “rational person,” promised to help make New York “strong and safe,” and even said he could live in the city under Mamdani’s leadership.
- Mamdani said he appreciated that the talks centred on the real needs of New Yorkers rather than political differences and he had personally requested the meeting to discuss affordability.
- Both leaders signalled openness to cooperate on boosting housing construction and tackling rents and inflation, suggesting a rare truce in a deeply polarised political climate.
Washington D.C.: The first meeting between US President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani at the White House surprised political observers, as the Oval Office encounter was far more measured and cordial than their campaign rhetoric suggested. What had been billed as a potential showdown between a right-wing president and a democratic socialist mayor-elect instead unfolded as a deliberately calm discussion about shared priorities for America’s largest city.
During the election campaign, Trump repeatedly described Mamdani as a “100 per cent communist lunatic” and “total nut job,” while Mamdani blasted Trump’s administration as “authoritarian” and vowed to be “Donald Trump’s worst nightmare.” Yet in the Oval Office, both men avoided personal attacks, sat side by side for cameras and spoke about wanting New York to be affordable, strong and secure for ordinary residents.
Insults parked, focus shifts to New Yorkers’ problems
Despite months of name calling on social media and in speeches, the tone of Friday’s meeting was notably soft, with Trump going out of his way to praise the 34-year-old mayor-elect. Standing next to Mamdani, Trump told reporters that he expects to be “helping him, not hurting him,” calling his victory “incredible” and saying that on many economic issues “we think in the same direction.”
Mamdani for his part said what he valued most was that the conversation was not about their political differences but about “the real needs of New Yorkers,” such as rents, transit and everyday costs. He had requested the meeting weeks earlier to press Trump on New York’s affordability crisis, arguing that without federal support, the city cannot adequately tackle rent burdens, shrinking affordable housing stock and high living costs.
Shared concern on inflation, rents and housing
Economic issues, especially housing and inflation, are politically central to both Trump and Mamdani and formed the core of their Oval Office agenda. Mamdani rode a wave of anger over rising grocery prices, utilities and rent to win City Hall, just as Trump used national frustration over inflation to power his own 2024 presidential campaign.
According to reporters in the room, the two leaders discussed expanding housing construction, exploring ways to stabilise or slow rent increases and addressing the costs of groceries and basic services that are squeezing New Yorkers. Trump later said that while people might be surprised, he and Mamdani “think very similarly” on some economic questions, especially the need to make work and housing pay for ordinary families.
Trump’s public U-turn on Mamdani
In a striking shift from his earlier language, Trump told journalists after the meeting that he now saw Mamdani as a “very rational person” and predicted that he might “surprise some conservative people.” Asked whether he would feel comfortable living in New York City under Mamdani’s leadership, the president replied that he “really would,” especially after their discussion, a remark seen as an olive branch to both the mayor-elect and New Yorkers who backed him.
When a reporter asked Mamdani if he still believed Trump was a “fascist,” Trump jokingly tapped him on the arm and told him to “just say yes, it’s easier,” and Mamdani replied briefly “OK, yes,” drawing laughter and diffusing tension. The exchange highlighted how both men, while not renouncing past criticisms, were willing to project a lighter, more pragmatic tone in the interests of cooperation.
Security, safety and federal support for the city
Beyond affordability, the two leaders also touched on public safety and security in New York, areas where Trump has previously threatened harsh measures against the city.In the past, Trump had talked about cutting federal funding to a Mamdani led New York and even raised the possibility of sending in the National Guard, but in this meeting he emphasised helping make the city “strong and very safe” instead.
Mamdani has campaigned on redirecting resources toward housing, transit and social services, while also insisting that New Yorkers deserve safe streets without over militarised policing, a balance he suggested would require federal cooperation.
Trump said his administration is open to discussions on infrastructure, housing and law enforcement support, provided the city works with Washington rather than against it.
Symbolism of a rare truce in a polarised era
For many analysts, the Trump-Mamdani meeting carried symbolism that stretched beyond New York, showing that two politicians from opposite ideological poles could sit down and identify areas of agreement.
Commentators noted that at a time of intense national polarisation, images of a right-wing president praising a Muslim democratic socialist mayor-elect and promising to “cheer for him” if he succeeds sent an unusual message of pragmatic cooperation.
Both Trump and Mamdani stressed afterwards that political rivalries must sometimes be put aside when residents are struggling with basic issues like rent, food prices and safety.
They signalled a desire to keep lines of communication open, saying they hoped this first, unexpectedly cordial Oval Office encounter would be the start of a working relationship focused on making New York more affordable and safe for its people.
