OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
4:46 PM – Friday, November 21, 2025
President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani had their first face-to-face meeting at the White House.
During his visit to the Oval Office on Friday, Trump congratulated Mamdani (D-N.Y.) for his win in the Big Apple.
“I think you’re going to have hopefully a really great mayor and the better he does, the happier I am, I will say,” said the president, adding that his team would be “helping him to make everybody’s dream come true, having a strong and very safe New York. Congratulations Mr. Mayor.”
Trump then turned to shake Mamdani’s hand.
Mamdani expressed his appreciation for a “productive” meeting with Trump, recalling that the two spoke about affordability, which was the overarching focus of his campaign. He said they discussed rent, groceries, utilities, and “the different ways in which people have been pushed out,” saying that he looked forward to working with Trump to deliver affordability.
When asked about his opinion that Mamdani is a communist, Trump said that the Mayor-elect holds views that are “out there,” but felt that his opinions would change over time.
“I mean he’s got views that are a little out there, but who knows? I mean we’re going to see what works,” Trump said. “He’s gonna change, also. We all change. I changed a lot.”
Trump referred to how some of his views changed between his first and second terms in office.
Trump alluded to topics of discussion, which he would not disclose publicly, that gave him unexpected confidence in the young future mayor.
“I feel very confident that he could do a very good job,” Trump said of Mamdani. “I think he’s going to be… I think he is going to surprise some conservative people, actually.”
A member of the press asked Mamdani about recently calling Trump a “despot,” to which he responded that he appreciated focusing on his shared values with the president during their discussion.
Trump laughed off the comment, saying that he’d been called “much worse” names.
“I think he’ll change his mind after we get to working together,” Trump contended.
The president also shut down a reporter questioning Mamdani for previously calling the president a “fascist.”
“Are you affirming that you think President Trump is a fascist?” a reporter asked.
“I’ve spoken about— “ Mamdani began.
Trump interjected, holding out a hand to the 33-year-old Mayor-elect, “That’s okay, you could just say yes.”
“Okay, alright, yes,” Mamdani replied, both men smiling.
“It’s easier than explaining it,” Trump said, patting Mamdani’s arm.
When asked about their disagreements on the Trump administration’s efforts on illegal immigration and crime, Trump said that law enforcement in New York City was a topic that they had “discussed at great length,” over other issues.
“He wants to have a safe New York. Ultimately, a safe New York is going to be a great New York. If it’s not safe, no matter how well we do with pricing, and with anything else — we can talk about anything you want — if you don’t have safe streets, it’s not going to be a success,” the Republican said.
Trump even said he believes Mamdani wants “horrible people” out of the city more than he does.
Though they have thus far appeared to fall on opposite sides of the Israel-Hamas conflict, the commander-in-chief and the future mayor said that they were also united in their desire for peace in the Middle East. Mamdani added that when he spoke to New Yorkers who voted for Trump last year, one of their main issues was “an end to forever wars.”
Trump and Mamdani have been at odds throughout Mamdani’s mayoral campaign, during which Trump threatened to pull federal funding from New York if he were to be elected.
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