E-Paper
Trump, Mamdani strike surprising common ground in first Oval Office meet: ‘We agree more…’
Donald Trump said he was “surprised” by how much common ground he found with NYC mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.
US President Donald Trump extended an unusually warm welcome to New York City’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani during their first in-person meeting at the White House on Friday local time, signalling a potential reset in a relationship long marked by public sparring.
The meeting took place at Mamdani’s request. The incoming mayor, a democratic socialist who was little known before his surprise win earlier this month, wanted to talk about New York’s rising cost of living and public safety issues.
Speaking to reporters after the private discussion, Trump said he was “surprised” by how much common ground he found with Mamdani.
“We had a meeting today that actually surprised me. He wants to see no crime. He wants to see housing being built. He wants to see rents coming down. All things that I agree with,” Trump said.
He added that while they may differ on how to bring rents down, the goal is shared. “One of the things I really gleaned very, very much today — he'd like to see them come down ideally by building a lot of additional housing. That's the ultimate way... He agrees with that and so do I.”
Trump also pushed back on media portrayals of their relationship. “If I read the newspapers and the stories, I don't hear that. But I heard him say it today and I think that's a very positive step… I expect to be helping him, not hurting him,” he said, stressing, “I want New York City to be great. I love New York City. It's where I come from.”
Warm praise for Mamdani’s upset win
Trump also congratulated Mamdani for what he called an “incredible race against some very tough people, very smart people.”
“We agreed on a lot more than I thought,” he said, adding that both shared “one thing in common: we want this city of ours that we love to do very well,” reported news agency Reuters.
Mamdani echoed the conciliatory tone, describing the meeting as “productive.”
“It was a productive meeting focused on a place of shared admiration and love, which is New York City, and the need to deliver affordability to New Yorkers,” he said.
Trump, for his part, said he was happy to put aside partisan divides. “The better he does the happier I am,” he said.
The friendliness on display marked a sharp departure from months of traded barbs between the two, spanning everything from immigration policy to New York’s fiscal outlook.
