US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani “the leader of the Democratic Party” on Tuesday (November 25th), praising his campaign and highlighting the significance of his Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump.
He praises Mamdani’s campaign
In an interview with CNBC, Bessent said, “I was in the room, and I think you have to have some admiration for a candidate who ran the campaign the way he ran it. It was a great, great campaign.”
He highlighted Mamdani’s growing influence in the Democratic Party: “He’s clearly the leader of the Democratic Party now. And I think it speaks to how open the president is that he invited him to the oval.”
Mixed support from New York Democrats
Bessent noted that some prominent Democrats did not support Mamdani. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., did not endorse him, although House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Gov. Kathy Hochul did.
“Senator Schumer has never endorsed him. I don’t even know if he’s met him,” Bessent said.
Trump congratulates Mamdani
President Trump also praised Mamdani, emphasizing shared priorities for New York: “We have one thing in common. We want this city of ours that we love to do very well. And I wanted to congratulate the mayor. He really ran an incredible race against a lot of smart people … And he beat them handily.”
Noting areas of common interest, including housing and food prices, Trump said, “We talked about some things very strongly in common, like housing and housing construction and food and prices.”
Challenges Ahead
Bessent stressed that governing presents practical challenges that go beyond campaigning, highlighting issues such as safety, sanitation and public transport: “It’s easy to campaign, but practical everyday life where people are safe, picking up rubbish to keep the metro running on time, we’ll see.”
