The president continued: “We agree on much more than I thought.” “I want him to do a great job, and we’re going to help him do a great job.”
When another reporter asked him if he sided with a “jihadi” — as Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) called Mamdani because of his support for Palestinian liberation and opposition to Israel’s genocide in Gaza — Trump said: “No… I met a man who is a very rational person.”
“I met a man who truly wants to see New York great again,” the president added. “I think we’re going to have, hopefully, a really great mayor. The better he does, the happier I’m going to be. We’re going to help him achieve everyone’s dream. That a very strong and safe New York will be.”
Comparing Mamdani to another prominent democratic socialist, who represents Vermont in the US Senate, Trump added, “Bernie Sanders and I agree on a lot more than people think.”
The pair reportedly discussed contentious issues including Trump’s crackdown on immigrants and the federal invasion of several US cities including Los Angeles. Washington, DC; Portland, Maine; chicago; And Memphis.
However, they also discussed common issues including the affordability crisis, which has hit New Yorkers hard.
“It was a productive meeting that focused on the place of shared admiration and love, which is New York City and the need to provide affordability to New Yorkers,” Mamdani told reporters.
Friday’s friendly encounter was a stark departure from previous heated exchanges between Trump and Mamdani. The president has called Mamdani a “communist lunatic” and “a complete lunatic,” and has repeatedly threatened to cut off federal funding to the nation’s largest city if the leftist is elected. Trump also threatened to arrest Mamdani after the then-mayoral candidate said he would refuse to cooperate with his administration’s mass deportation campaign.
When asked on Friday about calling Mamdani a communist, Trump said: “He’s got opinions that are a little out there, but who knows. I mean we’ll see what works. He’ll change too. I’ve changed a lot.”
“I feel very confident that he can do a very good job,” the president added. “I think it will actually surprise some conservatives.”
For his part, Mamdani called Trump an “tyrant” and the embodiment of New York City’s problems, denounced his “tyrannical” administration, and described himself as the president’s “worst nightmare.” He also called Trump a “fascist” on numerous occasions.
“I’ve been called a lot worse than a tyrant,” Trump quipped on Friday.
After their meeting, a reporter asked Mamdani if he still believed Trump was a fascist. The president interrupted him as Mamdani began to respond, patting him on the arm and saying, “It’s okay, you can just say yes.”
Mamdani did not praise Trump as much as the president — who posted several photos in which he posed with the mayor-elect in front of a portrait of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Mamdani called the meeting “cordial and productive” and said he looked forward to working with Trump “to improve life in New York,” highlighting their agreement on issues such as housing affordability, food and energy costs, and lowering the cost of living — issues he said motivated voters to support the two men.
Observers expressed their surprise at the cordial meeting with Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), one of Trump’s harshest critics in Congress.he asks On social media, “What just happened?”
The meeting went very differently than it had shown before Fox News:
Many far-right figures were angered by Trump’s gracious reception of the man they had spent much of the year tarnishing. Leftists mocked their concerns via the popular X account @_iamblakeley he asks“Has anyone checked out Laura Loomer?”
The anti-Islam conspiracy theorist and staunch Trump loyalist was actually having a meltdown on social media.
Referring to the Republican congresswoman from Georgia who He made a surprise retirement announcement On Friday, journalist Aaron Robar books On Bluesky, “Trump feuding with Marjorie Taylor Greene but falling in love with Zahran Mamdani was not on my bingo card for November 2025.”
Some social media users noted that Trump gave Mamdani a clearer endorsement than even some prominent Democrats.
“Trump is being kinder to Mamdani than the Democratic leadership,” journalist Ken Klippenstein books On bluesky.
Another bluesky account to publish“Donald Trump endorsed Zahran Mamdani before Chuck Schumer,” he said, referring to the Senate Majority Leader — who has never endorsed his party’s nominee to lead the city they both call home.
Corporate Democrats’ disdain for left-wing candidates and ideology was on full display Thursday, as the House voted 285-98 in favor of a resolution “condemning the horrors of socialism” in all its forms, including the variety that has been a dominant political force across Western democracies since shortly after World War II.
Eighty-six Democrats joined their Republican colleagues in voting in favor of the resolution. The vote took place while Mamdani was on his way to the White House.
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