US President Donald Trump hosted New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in the Oval Office on Friday, after the administration had repeatedly referred to the left-wing incoming mayor as a "communist". It was the first time the two had met face-to-face.
Despite their political histories, the tone inside the Oval Office was unexpectedly warm. Trump told reporters that both men were aligned on one fundamental priority: improving New York City.
"We have one thing in common," Trump said. "We want this city of ours that we love to do very well. And I wanted to congratulate the mayor. He really ran an incredible race against, you know, a lot of smart people, starting with the early primaries against some very tough people, very smart people. And he beat them, and he beat them easily. And I congratulated him, and we talked about some things in very strong common, like housing and getting housing built and food and prices."
Trump suggested the White House would support the mayor-elect's efforts to improve the city he once called home.
"I think you're going to have, hopefully, a really great mayor and the better he does, the happier I am," Trump said. "I will say there's no difference in party, there's no difference in anything. And we're going to be helping him, to make everybody's dream come true, having a strong and very safe New York."
Earlier in the day, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had described Mamdani as a "communist" while stressing that Trump was willing to meet with any elected official.
During the brief media session, Trump stayed seated as Mamdani stood beside him, answering questions and echoing some of the president's emphasis on affordability. Trump, at one point, acknowledged their ideological distance but suggested that change – for both of them – is inevitable.
"He's got views that (are) a little out there, but who knows? And then we'll get to see what works, or he's going to change also. We all change," Trump said. "I changed a lot. Changed a lot from when I first came to office, it's now quite a while ago, quite a while. My first term was great. We had the greatest economy in the history of our country. We're doing even better now. We're doing much better now than we did even in the first term. And I can tell you, some of my views have changed."
Trump went on to say that Mamdani "is going to surprise some conservative people, actually, and some very liberal people."
Mamdani, for his part, thanked the president for the meeting and emphasised that their discussion centred on shared goals rather than old disputes.
"I think both President Trump and I - we are very clear about our positions and our views," Mamdani said. "And what I really appreciate about the president is that the meeting that we had focused not on places of disagreement, which there are many, and also focused on the shared purpose that we have in serving New Yorkers."
Mamdani secured the mayoralty on November 4, defeating Republican Curtis Sliwa and independent candidate Andrew Cuomo after besting Cuomo in the Democratic primary earlier in the year. He is set to take office on January 1.
