Trump praises newly-elected NYC Mayor Mamdani after first Oval Office's 'productive meeting'

 

US President Donald Trump on Friday struck an unexpectedly conciliatory tone after his first Oval Office meeting with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, calling the closed-door session “a really good, very productive meeting,” a stark contrast to the months of combative rhetoric exchanged during the campaign.

“We’ve just had a great meeting, a really good, very productive meeting,” Trump said from behind the Resolute Desk, with Mamdani standing beside him. The praise marked a dramatic shift for the President, who had repeatedly mocked the 34-year-old Democrat and branded him a “radical left lunatic” during the race.

Trump applauded Mamdani’s win and signalled he now wants him to succeed. “The better he does, the happier I am,” he said. “We have one thing in common, we want this city of ours that we love to do incredibly well.”

The president even hinted at ideological flexibility. Gesturing toward Mamdani, he said, “I think he’s going to change on some of his views. Some of my views have changed, too, since I entered public office. I think he’s going to surprise some conservative people, actually.”

Mamdani: Meeting focused on affordability

Mamdani, who has built his politics around affordability, rent pressures and basic costs of living, echoed Trump’s description of the conversation. “As he said, it was a productive meeting focused on a place of shared admiration and love — New York City,” the mayor-elect said.

He said the discussion centered on everyday financial strain. “We spoke about rent, we spoke about groceries, we spoke about utilities,” Mamdani said. “We spoke about the different ways in which people are being pushed out.”

He added he looked forward to working together “to deliver affordability for New Yorkers, the eight and a half million people who call our city home.”

A low-profile arrival, a high-profile moment

Earlier in the day, Mamdani’s quiet arrival puzzled reporters. He bypassed the main West Wing entrance, slipping inside without being seen. White House communications director Steven Cheung teased the press corps with a photo of reporters waiting outside: “Too late guys! Y’all are too slow!”

A sharp contrast to the campaign trail

Trump had previewed his new approach in a morning Fox News Radio interview, admitting he may have “hit Mamdani a little hard” during the mayoral campaign.

“He’s got a different philosophy. He’s a little bit different,” Trump said. “I give him a lot of credit for the run… I think we’ll get along fine.”

Throughout the campaign, Trump repeatedly attacked Mamdani, at one point tagging him a “communist” and putting his middle name, “Kwame,” in quotation marks on social media. The mayor-elect, a democratic socialist, had also been a vocal critic of Trump’s immigration policy, policing rhetoric and federal funding decisions.

‘I will work with him if it helps New Yorkers’

Speaking to reporters outside City Hall before his visit, Mamdani acknowledged the differences but said he was committed to cooperation where possible. “I intend to make it clear to President Trump that I will work with him on any agenda that benefits New Yorkers,” he said. “If an agenda hurts New Yorkers, I will also be the first to say so.”

Despite their clashing worldviews, both men ended the meeting with the same public message: they want New York to succeed, and, for now at least, are willing to talk.