US President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani shocked both parties on Friday by holding a warm, cooperative meeting at the White House, despite months of fierce public clashes over immigration, policing, and economic policy.
The two leaders, who have repeatedly traded insults during the campaign season, appeared unexpectedly friendly as they stood side by side in the Oval Office. Trump praised Mamdani several times, even patting his arm, calling the 34-year-old democratic socialist “very rational” and saying the two “agree on a lot more than I would have thought.”
Mamdani, who takes office on January 1 and will be New York City’s first Muslim mayor, said he appreciated that the conversation focused on shared goals instead of political disagreements. “What I really appreciate about the president is that the meeting focused not on our disagreements, which are many, but on our shared purpose in serving New Yorkers,” he said.
The private discussion centred mostly on affordability, an issue hurting Trump politically, with only 26% of Americans approving of his handling of the cost of living, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll. Both leaders agreed that New York’s rising housing and utility costs must be addressed. Trump even joined Mamdani in criticising Con Edison, saying the utility must lower rates. “We have to get Con Edison to start lowering the rates,” Trump said, to which Mamdani replied, “Absolutely.” Con Edison later said it welcomed the chance to work with the mayor-elect.
For Trump, the meeting served as a chance to steer public attention away from headlines involving recently released Jeffrey Epstein documents. His sudden warmth toward Mamdani, whom he previously called a “radical left lunatic” and “communist”, surprised members of both parties. Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib reacted online, asking, “What the heck just happened?” after seeing a clip of the two men laughing together.
Trump also pushed back strongly when a reporter asked if he believed he had “a jihadist” next to him. “No, I don’t,” Trump said. “I met with a man who’s a very rational person.”
Reporters also pressed the leaders on their past insults. When one asked if Mamdani still believed Trump was a fascist, Trump jokingly told him, “That’s OK, you can just say ‘yes’. It’s easier.” Mamdani stayed diplomatic, avoiding the label while noting he still had concerns about Trump’s immigration positions.
The rare moment of political calm ended with both sides signalling they were willing to continue working together, at least on affordability, as New York prepares for a major leadership shift on January 1.
