In a remarkable political turnaround, President Donald Trump has declared that New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will be a 'really great mayor' for the city, following their first face-to-face meeting at the White House.
From Political Foes to Collaborative Partners
The meeting on Friday 21 November 2025 represented a dramatic shift in tone between the two politicians. Just months earlier, President Trump had labelled the 34-year-old Democratic Socialist a 'communist' and threatened to withdraw federal funding from city government if Mamdani won the mayoral election.
Meanwhile, Mamdani had previously described Trump as a 'despot' and 'fascist'. However, during their half-hour Oval Office discussion, both men appeared to set aside their differences in what observers described as a genuine love-fest.
Oval Office Promises and Shared Goals
Seated behind his desk with Mamdani standing beside him, President Trump told reporters he had congratulated his hometown's next chief executive and pledged assistance to help reduce living costs for New Yorkers.
'I think you're going to have, hopefully, a really great mayor — the better he does, the happier I am,' Trump stated, adding that 'there's no difference in party' when it comes to improving New York City.
For his part, Mamdani described their conversation as 'productive' and centred on their 'shared admiration and love' for New York City. He emphasised their discussion focused on delivering affordability for the eight and a half million people who call the city home.
Focusing on New Yorkers' Struggles
The Mayor-elect revealed they discussed specific measures to address the cost of living crisis in 'the most expensive city in the United States of America.'
'We spoke about rent, we spoke about groceries, we spoke about utilities,' Mamdani explained. 'We spoke about the different ways in which people are being pushed out.'
He expressed appreciation for his conversation with the President and looked forward to working together to deliver tangible affordability solutions for New York residents.
Notably, when questioned by reporters, Mamdani refused to retract his past critical statements about President Trump, prompting laughter from the President during their joint appearance.
