U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that he held a “very productive meeting” with New York City’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, marking the first in-person encounter between the two political rivals who have frequently clashed on policy.
“We’ve just had a great, very productive meeting,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, saying the two men share one goal: “We want this city of ours that we love to do very well. The better he does, the happier I am.”
Trump said his administration would work with the incoming mayor to improve life for residents of the country’s financial capital. “We’re going to be helping him to make everybody’s dream come true, having a strong and very safe New York,” he said.
The meeting came only weeks after Mamdani, a Democratic socialist and state lawmaker, won New York’s mayoral race. He requested the White House sit-down to discuss cost-of-living pressures and public safety, two issues he said were central to his campaign.
Trump, who invited journalists into the Oval Office following the private portion of their talks, congratulated Mamdani on his victory. “He really ran an incredible race against some very tough people,” he said.
Mamdani described the conversation as “very productive,” saying the discussion focused on their shared “admiration and love” for New York and the need to deliver affordability for its residents. “We want to make sure New Yorkers can afford housing, groceries, childcare and transit,” he said.
The meeting struck a markedly different tone from the campaign season, when Trump criticized Mamdani and threatened to pull federal funds from New York. Mamdani has also been sharply critical of Trump’s immigration enforcement proposals and other federal policies.
In recent days, Trump tempered his rhetoric, telling Fox News he expected the encounter to be “quite civil” and acknowledging he had been “hitting him a little hard.” On Friday, he said he believed the two could “get along fine,” adding, “We want to make New York strong.”
Mamdani is set to take office on Jan. 1, becoming the city’s first Muslim and first South Asian mayor. His campaign energized younger voters and sparked debate within the Democratic Party about its future direction.
He told reporters earlier in the week that he planned to cooperate with the administration on issues that benefit New Yorkers but would oppose any federal agenda that he believes harms the city. “If an agenda hurts New Yorkers, I will be the first to say so,” he said.
The federal government is projected to provide $7.4 billion to New York City in fiscal year 2026, about 6.4 percent of the city’s spending, according to the New York State Comptroller. It remains unclear what authority the White House would have to withhold funding approved by Congress.
The two men have criticized each other publicly in recent months, including during Mamdani’s election night speech. Trump said Friday he was unsure what Mamdani meant when he urged supporters to “turn the volume up,” but added that the mayor-elect “was very nice in calling” to request the meeting.
