White House Meeting

President Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani met at the White House on Friday.

Context

Trump criticized Mamdani during his mayoral campaign, calling him a communist and threatening to withhold federal funding from New York if he won. The president endorsed Mamdani's opponent, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, shortly before the election. Mamdani, a democratic socialist who won the November election, previously referred to Trump as a despot and said the president had a fascist agenda.

Cordial Meeting

On Friday, Trump and Mamdani met in the White House on good terms, focusing their discussion on the cost of rent, groceries, and utilities in New York.

Trump said he would feel comfortable living in New York under Mamdani's leadership and called him a rational person. The president said he expected to help the mayor-elect rather than hurt him, while Mamdani said he appreciated the meeting and that it focused on their shared purpose of serving New Yorkers rather than their disagreements.

Areas of Agreement

Trump and Mamdani agreed on a few issues, including housing affordability, reducing utility costs, and addressing the cost of living. The president said Mamdani shared ideas about building more homes and apartments that aligned with his own views. Both leaders discussed the need to reduce utility costs for New Yorkers.

Trump said some of his own voters supported Mamdani in the election, with the mayor-elect saying that one in 10 of his voters had voted for Trump.

Remaining Differences

The two said they still disagree on immigration policy, though Trump said they would work together on keeping New York safe. Trump said he did not care about party affiliations if Mamdani could make New York successful.

The mayor-elect previously pledged to prevent the New York Police Department from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement agents. Trump said they would "work out" their differences on immigration, while Mamdani stressed that New York's sanctuary laws allow cooperation with federal agents on serious crimes. New York City received nearly $10B in federal funds in fiscal year 2025, comprising over 8% of its operating budget. At the meeting, Trump said he no longer expected to cut that funding.