New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani was pressed Friday on whether or not he believes President Donald Trump is a fascist.
Standing beside his host in the Oval Office, Mamdani started to reply – till the president, seated, interrupted.
“That’s OK – you can just say yes. That’s easier. It’s easier than explaining,” Trump informed his visitor, laughing it off as he playfully tapped Mamdani on the arm.
That collegial interaction was almost unthinkable in the lead-up to the meeting as each side postured, however the chief of the MAGA motion and the self-described democratic socialist made clear their dialog was a productive one – pleasant, even.
“The better he does, the happier I am,” Trump stated of the mayor-elect, later expressing openness to residing in Mamdani’s New York City.
During the mayoral marketing campaign, the president urged voters in his native metropolis to again Democratic former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an unbiased, over the GOP nominee, as a result of he’d have a greater shot at defeating Mamdani. The president had threatened to tug federal funding from New York if Mamdani received, instructed openness to sending in the National Guard and threatened to arrest the mayor-elect, whom he’s repeatedly referred to as him a “communist.” (Mamdani has said he’s not a communist).
But requested Friday if he would really feel snug residing in New York City, Trump stated, “I really would – especially after the meeting, absolutely,” including, “We agree on a lot more than I really thought.”
Their post-meeting press engagement underscored that each Trump and Mamdani acknowledge the political utility of one another’s strengths, with every citing the New York City crossover voters who backed Mamdani earlier this month and Trump in 2024.
Trump signaled respect for Mamdani’s overwhelming victory – he received greater than 50% of the vote – constructed on a concentrate on working-class points and guarantees to revive affordability to the nation’s most populous metropolis. That’s a subject the place the president may use a lift – a Fox News poll launched this week confirmed 76% of voters have a adverse view of the economic system, a discovering that sends loud warning indicators to Republicans forward of subsequent 12 months’s midterm elections.
It’s additionally in Mamdani’s greatest pursuits to have a working relationship with the White House. New York City’s Fiscal Year 2026 finances is relying on $7.4 billion in federal funding, according to the state comptroller.
Along with affordability, Trump and Mamdani indicated they had been capable of finding widespread floor on points like vitality prices, public security and peace in the Middle East – a softening, rhetorically at the least, of their division over immigration enforcement and the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The stagecraft of the meeting was notable – Trump and Mamdani met privately for simply over half an hour earlier than reporters had been invited into the Oval Office. During that point, Mamdani stated, the 2 admired a portrait of former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the Cabinet Room, with Mamdani taking an image subsequent to it.
Unlike different conferences along with his international counterparts the place the 2 leaders sit on equal footing in cushioned yellow chairs, Trump sat behind his desk as Mamdani stood up, positioned barely behind him.
But the 2 had been all smiles all through, with Trump even siding with the soon-to-be first Muslim mayor of New York over one of his GOP allies, Rep. Elise Stefanik, who’d referred to as Mamdani a “jihadist.”
“She’s out there campaigning and you say things sometimes in a campaign,” Trump stated of Stefanik, who’s operating for governor of New York. “I met with a man who’s a very rational person. I met with a man who wants to see New York be great again.”
Stefanik responded soon after on X: “We all want NYC to succeed. But we’ll have to agree to disagree on this one.”
Ahead of the meeting, Mamdani sought counsel from different prime Democratic officers who’ve navigated their very own relationships with Trump, spending Thursday holding calls with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and the Rev. Al Sharpton to debate find out how to method it and how greatest to speak with Trump, in response to an aide to Mamdani’s transition staff.
Friday’s meeting, Mamdani stated, “focused on a place of shared admiration and love, which is New York City.”
Trump expressed confidence that Mamdani can do a very good job as he prepares to take workplace on January 1 – and impress throughout the aisle.
“I think he is going to surprise some conservative people, actually.”
NCS’s Jeff Zeleny contributed to this report.