Trump, Mamdani shared cordial White House meeting after months of trading attacks

WASHINGTON: In a surprising turn of events, US President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim and self-described Democratic socialist, had a positive meeting Friday that focused on their shared interest in addressing the affordability crisis in that metropolis of over eight million people. Both leaders emphasized that despite their significant ideological differences and past mutual criticism, they found common ground on the need to lower costs for New Yorkers.

The vehement attacks that each man has lobbed against the other in the recent past — including Trump inaccurately calling Mamdani a “communist” in the social media post that announced their meeting — were nowhere to be seen.

Instead, the two men focused on potential common ground on their desire to see New York City thrive.

The two leaders appeared friendly when they addressed a joint press conference, setting social media aflame with their meeting.

Trump repeatedly jumped in to defend Mamdani against adversarial press questions.

The encounter was, by any reasonable measure, a big success for the 34-year-old incoming mayor, the first-ever South Asian to lead America’s biggest city.

Mamdani achieved his key objective in finding common ground with Trump without ceding any real issue of principle, analysts said.

For months, Mamdani’s opponents in politics and in right-leaning media have been seeking to paint him as a scary threat to mainstream values.

Trump, who had once joined those attacks, dismantled them Friday.

“The better he does, the happier I am,” Trump said near the beginning of their remarks to the assembled media.

Later, asked if he would feel comfortable living in New York City under a Mamdani administration, Trump replied, “Yeah I would. I really would. Especially after the meeting. Absolutely.”

But the mayor-elect notably did not back away from earlier comments he has made about the president. “I know there might be differences about ideology, but the place of agreement is the work that needs to be done to make New York City affordable,” he said. One reporter cited Republican Congressman Elise Stefanik’s accusations that Mamdani is a “jihadist” and asked Trump if he felt he was sitting “next to a jihadist right now in the Oval Office.”

“No, I don’t,” Trump replied.

Moments later he added, “I met with a man who’s a very rational person. I met with a man who really wants to see New York be great again.”

President Trump said he wants Mamdani to succeed as New York City mayor, vowing White House support for his work in the interest of New Yorkers.

The president expressed the hope that Mamdani would make a great mayor and may even surprise many conservatives.

“He has a chance to really do something great for New York,” the president said. “New York is at a very critical point. And he does need the help of the federal government to really succeed, and we’re going to be helping him. But he’s different than you know, your average candidate. Hey, he came out of nowhere.”