Trump to meet New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Nov 21 at White House

Zohran Mamdani on Monday (local time) said that he hopes to meet Trump to find ways the political opposites can work together on the central focus of his winning campaign: affordability

US President Donald Trump is set to meet New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on Friday (local time) in the Oval Office.

Taking to his private social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Communist Mayor of New York City, Zohran ‘Kwame’ Mamdani, has asked for a meeting. We have agreed that this meeting will take place at the Oval Office on Friday, November 21st. Further details to follow!”

 

According to an Associated Press report, Mamdani on Monday (local time) said that he hopes to meet Trump to find ways the political opposites can work together on the central focus of his winning campaign: affordability. The 34-year-old mayor-elect said the outreach reflected his commitment to engage with anyone who could help address New York City’s pressing issues, including bringing soaring costs under control.

 

The announcement comes days after Trump said that he expects to meet with Mamdani soon, and added that they would “work something out”. Earlier, Trump had predicted disaster for New York City if the Democratic socialist won the election, and also threatened to deport Mamdani, further warning of pulling out federal funds from the city.

Mamdani criticises Trump’s efforts

 

“The president ran a campaign promising cheaper groceries and a lower cost of living,” the mayor-elect said after visiting Part of the Solution, or POTS. “Yet the actions taken by him and his administration in Washington are having the opposite effect on New Yorkers,” he added.

 

The Uganda-born mayor-elect also criticised efforts of the Trump administration to cut funding for the food aid programme known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, during the US government shutdown.

 

He vowed to protect New Yorkers from a federal administration that, in his view, would rather starve the city’s residents than serve them.

 

The possible face-to-face meeting could mark a detente between the Republican president and the Democratic political star, who have long cast each other as political opposites.

 

White House reviews New York’s funding after Mamdani’s victory

 

According to a Bloomberg report, the Trump administration has been reviewing federal funding allocated to New York City since Mamdani won the mayoral election. The review is aimed at identifying programmes that could be paused or cancelled, signalling that the President may still act on earlier threats to punish the city financially.

 

New York received nearly $10 billion in federal funds in fiscal year 2025, consisting of 8.3 per cent of total spending for its operating budget, Bloomberg reported, citing the city comptroller’s office.

 

On October 1, the first day of the government shutdown, the White House paused nearly $18 billion of infrastructure funds to New York and cited concerns over diversity and inclusion practices.