Trump commends victory of New York's mayor-elect Mamdani at White House meeting

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump praised the electoral victory of incoming New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani at the White House on Friday (Nov 21) in the first in-person meeting for the political opposites, who have clashed over everything from immigration to economic policy.

A democratic socialist and little-known state lawmaker who won New York's mayoral race earlier this month, Mamdani requested the sit-down with Trump to discuss cost-of-living issues and public safety.

"We have one thing in common: we want this city of ours that we love to do very well," Trump said after inviting journalists into the Oval Office following a private meeting. "I want to congratulate the mayor, he really ran an incredible race against some very tough people, very smart people."

"It was a productive meeting focused on a place of shared admiration and love, which is New York City, and the need to deliver affordability to New Yorkers," Mamdani said.

Trump said he was happy to put aside partisan differences. "The better he does the happier I am," Trump said.

As Mamdani surged in the polls to victory, Trump, a Republican, issued threats to strip federal funding from the biggest US city. The mayor-elect has regularly criticised a range of Trump's policies, including plans to ramp up federal immigration enforcement efforts in New York City, where four in ten residents are foreign-born.

The 79-year-old president, a former New York resident, has labeled Mamdani, 34, as a "radical left lunatic," a communist and "Jew hater," without offering evidence for those assertions.

Mamdani has espoused Nordic-style democratic socialism, not communism. While a staunch critic of Israel, he was endorsed by prominent Jewish politicians, is bringing in Jewish staff in his new administration, notably New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, and has repeatedly condemned antisemitism.

Trump tempered his language on Friday shortly before the mayor-elect's arrival, saying he expected it to be "quite civil" and commending Mamdani for a "successful run."

"I was hitting him a little hard," Trump told "The Brian Kilmeade Show" on Fox News. "I think we'll get along fine. Look, we're looking for the same thing: we want to make New York strong."

Earlier, Mamdani posted a grinning selfie on social media, taken in the seat of a plane bound for Washington.

Trump's Oval Office meetings have been wildly unpredictable, including respectful encounters with opponents and ambushes of guests, such as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa.

Mamdani, who will be sworn in as mayor on Jan 1, said at a press conference the day before heading to Washington that he had "many disagreements with the president."

"I intend to make it clear to President Trump that I will work with him on any agenda that benefits New Yorkers," he told reporters outside New York's City Hall. "If an agenda hurts New Yorkers, I will also be the first to say so."

TRUMP THINKS MAMDANI WAS 'VERY NICE' IN CALLING HIM

Uganda-born Mamdani will be the first Muslim and first South Asian mayor in the city that is home to Wall Street. His energetic, social media-savvy campaign provoked debate about the best path for Democrats. Out of power in Washington and divided ideologically, Democrats are mainly unified by their opposition to Trump, who is constitutionally prohibited from seeking another term in 2028.

Mamdani vowed to focus on affordability issues, including the cost of housing, groceries, childcare and buses in a city of 8.5 million people. New Yorkers pay nearly double the average rent nationwide.

Inflation has been a major issue for Americans, and it's one on which they give Trump low marks. Just 26 percent of Americans say Trump is doing a good job at managing the cost of living, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll this week.

The US federal government is providing US$7.4 billion to New York City in fiscal year 2026, or about 6.4 percent of the city's total spending, according to a New York State Comptroller report. It was not clear what legal authority Trump could claim for withholding any funding mandated by Congress.

The two men were again trading barbs within hours of Mamdani's election.

"If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him," Mamdani told cheering supporters in his victory speech, which called for Trump to "turn the volume up."

Trump said he was puzzled by Mamdani's speech after excerpts were replayed to him during the Fox News interview on Friday morning.

"I don't know exactly what he means by 'turning the volume up.' He has to be careful when he says that to me," Trump said. "He was very nice in calling, as you know, and we're going to have a meeting."