Mamdani willing to work with Trump on policies that benefit New Yorkers

Mamdani, said, 'I have many disagreements with the President, I believe that we should be relentless, pursue all avenues and all meetings that can make our city affordable for every single New Yorker'

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, despite his differences with US President Donald Trump, is set to meet him at the White House on Friday, their first interaction since Mamdani’s victory in the November 4 mayoral election. Mamdani said on Thursday (local time) that although he has “many disagreements” with Trump, he will work with the administration on any policy agenda that benefits New Yorkers.

 

Speaking to reporters, Mamdani said his team had initiated contact with the White House to arrange the meeting because he is committed to working “with anyone” to make life more affordable for the more than eight-and-a-half million residents of New York City, reported PTI. He emphasised that it is customary for an incoming New York City mayor to meet the US President, given the mutual reliance between the city and the federal government.

 

 

What message does Mamdani plan to convey to Trump? 

Mamdani said, “I have many disagreements with the President, and I believe that we should be relentless and pursue all avenues and all meetings that can make our city affordable for every single New Yorker.” He added that he would support any agenda that helps New Yorkers and oppose those that do not, as quoted by PTI.

 

He noted that the meeting is even more crucial now, given the national affordability crisis and the specific challenges cities are facing in balancing public safety with the administration’s policies. 

 

How has Trump responded ahead of the meeting? 

On Truth Social on Wednesday night, Trump wrote, “The 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!”

 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also confirmed the meeting, saying teams from both sides were coordinating details. She remarked that it “speaks volumes that tomorrow we have a Communist coming to the White House, because that’s who the Democrat Party elected as the mayor of the largest city in the country,” as reported by ANI. Leavitt claimed that New York City has shifted further “Left” than the President anticipated.

 

What criticisms has Trump made of Mamdani’s policies? 

Trump has repeatedly criticised Mamdani’s positions, often describing him as a “communist”. On the eve of the November 4 election, he warned that a Mamdani win would be a “complete and total economic and social disaster for New York City.”

 

After Mamdani’s fiery victory speech, where the Mayor-elect challenged Trump’s crackdown on immigration and declared that New York “will be powered by immigrants” and, after his historic win, “led by an immigrant”, Trump labelled the address “very angry”. He added that Mamdani was “off to a bad start” and would fail if he did not show respect to Washington.

 

Mamdani won the closely watched New York City mayoral race, becoming the first South Asian and the first Muslim to be elected Mayor of the US’s largest city. When he is sworn in in January 2026, he will also become New York’s first Indian-origin mayor and the youngest person to hold the office in more than a century.