Trump and Mamdani hope for positive relationship after ‘productive’ meeting

Despite their longstanding feud, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and president-elect Donald Trump have spoken in the White House about their hopes for a fruitful and cordial relationship.

Trump praised Mamdani, the Muslim politician who he once hailed as a “jihadist” and threatened to depose him of his US citizenship, in a press release on Friday after their discussion.

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“We just had a fantastic, extremely productive meeting,” the statement read. We all share the desire to do very well in this city of ours, according to Trump, who was born and raised in New York, adding that Mamdani had won an “incredible race” and defeated his rivals “easily”.

Mamdani responded, stating that he had a good time with the president and that the meeting was productive and focused on New York City, a place where they shared admiration and love.

Mamdani, a democratic socialist who supported the existence of a community made up of people from all over the world and who vehemently defended Palestinian rights, disagrees politically with Trump, whose nativist policies have portrayed immigrants as a dangerous internal threat and have previously advocated for a Muslim ban on entering the US.

Mamdani said he hoped to work together despite their differences when asked about areas in which he disagreed with Trump, such as immigration enforcement.

He referred to a video he shared in November 2024 where he discussed issues like affordability and US involvement in foreign conflicts with Trump supporters following the 2024 presidential election. Ammadani said he now hopes to find a solution to the US “forever wars” and lower living costs.

“I believe that both President Trump and I have strong positions and opinions. And what I really appreciate about the president is that the meeting focused on the shared goal of serving New Yorkers rather than on the many points where there are disagreements.

One in four people in poverty, according to he said, “that could change the lives of 8.5 million people who are currently in a cost-of-living crisis.”

Despite his previous controversies, Trump has recently spoken out in favor of Mamdani’s emphasis on cost-of-living issues in response to polls that are raising questions about the state of the US economy.