US President Donald Trump met with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in the Oval Office on Friday, November 21, 2025.
The high-profile meeting followed months of public criticism between the two, but both emerged with positive remarks, stressing a shared goal of improving New York City.
Key Details of the meeting
President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. Met at the Oval Office in the White House.
The meeting marked a significant shift in tone from the previous “war of words” during the mayoral campaign, where Trump called Mamdani a “communist” and Mamdani called Trump a “fascist.”
Both leaders indicated they found common ground on issues such as affordability, public safety, and energy costs in New York City.
Trump praised Mamdani’s “incredible” victory and expressed confidence that he would be a “really great mayor,” even saying he would feel comfortable living in New York under Mamdani’s leadership.
Mamdani described the conversation as “productive” and focused on the needs of working-class New Yorkers.
Mamdani, a democratic socialist who embraced New York’s status as a community made up of people from around the world and offered a firm defence of Palestinian rights, is politically at odds with Trump, whose nativist politics have depicted immigrants as a dangerous internal threat and previously pushed for a ban on Muslims entering the US.
