Trump and Mamdani Find Common Ground: "We Want New York City To Do Very Well"

US President Donald Trump welcomed New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to the Oval Office on Friday, marking their first face-to-face meeting after the administration had previously labeled the incoming left-wing mayor as a "communist".

The Oval Office encounter displayed surprising warmth despite their political differences. Trump expressed to reporters that both men shared a fundamental goal: the improvement of New York City.

"We have one thing in common," Trump stated. "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, you know, a lot of smart people, starting with the early primaries against some very tough people, very smart people. And he beat them, and he beat them easily. And I congratulated him, and we talked about some things in very strong common, like housing and getting housing built and food and prices."

Trump indicated that the White House would support Mamdani's efforts to enhance the city he formerly called home.

"I think you're going to have, hopefully, a really great mayor and the better he does, the happier I am," Trump remarked. "I will say there's no difference in party, there's no difference in anything. And we're going to be helping him, to make everybody's dream come true, having a strong and very safe New York."

Earlier that day, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had described Mamdani as a "communist" while emphasizing that Trump was willing to meet with any elected official.

During the brief media session, Trump remained seated while Mamdani stood beside him, answering questions and reinforcing some of the president's focus on affordability. Trump acknowledged their ideological differences but suggested that change is inevitable for both of them.

"He's got views that (are) a little out there, but who knows? And then we'll get to see what works, or he's going to change also. We all change," Trump said. "I changed a lot. Changed a lot from when I first came to office, it's now quite a while ago, quite a while. My first term was great. We had the greatest economy in the history of our country. We're doing even better now. We're doing much better now than we did even in the first term. And I can tell you, some of my views have changed."

Trump added that Mamdani "is going to surprise some conservative people, actually, and some very liberal people."

Mamdani expressed gratitude for the meeting and emphasized that their discussion centered on shared objectives rather than past disagreements.

"I think both President Trump and I - we are very clear about our positions and our views," Mamdani stated. "And what I really appreciate about the president is that the meeting that we had focused not on places of disagreement, which there are many, and also focused on the shared purpose that we have in serving New Yorkers."

Mamdani won the mayoralty on November 4, defeating Republican Curtis Sliwa and independent candidate Andrew Cuomo after prevailing over Cuomo in the Democratic primary earlier in the year. He is scheduled to take office on January 1.