New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said on Sunday (November 23rd) that he continues to believe that US President Donald Trump is a fascist, even after a cordial meeting at the White House last Friday.
“That’s something I’ve said in the past, I’m saying it today,” Mamdani told NBC News.
Mamdani met with Trump to discuss the city’s priorities, putting aside months of public recriminations.
“Everything I said in the past, I still believe,” Mamdani said. “We don’t shy away from where we have disagreements, but we understand what brings us to that table. … I’m coming out there to deliver for New Yorkers.”
Trump, who had previously criticized Mamdani and suggested he should be deported, even weighed in during a White House briefing.
“That’s fine. You can just say it. That’s easier,” Trump told Mamdani. “It’s easier said than done. I don’t mind.”
A common focus on the affordability crisis
Despite significant policy differences, both leaders highlighted affordability as a key issue for voters.
“I told the president that when I asked those New Yorkers why they voted for the president, they told me over and over again it was cost of living, cost of living, cost of living,” Mamdani said.
The incoming mayor specified that housing, child care, food and public services were central to his campaign and discussions with Trump.
“In the meeting I had with the president, I found it to be a productive one … I came back again and again to the central issues of the campaign we ran: the cost of housing, the cost of child care, the cost of food, the cost of services.”
Mutual respect despite past attacks
The two have publicly criticized each other in the past, with Trump calling Mamdani a “100% communist nutcase” while Mamdani accused Trump of attacking democracy. However, after Friday’s meeting, the two emerged smiling and discussing the city’s shared goals.
Trump praised Mamdani’s historic election victory and expressed confidence in his leadership.
“We’re going to help him fulfill everyone’s dream: to have a strong and very safe New York,” Trump said.
