Smiles in the Oval Office. On Friday 21 November 2025, Donald Trump welcomed Zohran Mamdani to the White House in Washington, D.C., for their first face‑to‑face. The tone surprised onlookers: cordial, pragmatic, and geared towards affordability, housing and public safety, with Middle East questions briefly in the mix and a sizeable media pack looking on.
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The reset came despite a fiery backstory. Before the meeting, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reportedly threw “communist” barbs Mamdani’s way, while the mayor‑elect had previously branded Trump a “fascist”. Even so, the president pledged to help a New York that is both strong and very safe, pitching himself as ready to work across party lines.
Mamdani won the 4 November election against Republican Curtis Sliwa and independent Andrew Cuomo, and is due to be sworn in on 1 January. He framed the journey ahead as squarely about New Yorkers’ wallets, citing a city of 8.5 million where roughly one in four lives in poverty.
Shared priorities take centre stage
Housing, food prices and utility bills topped the Oval Office agenda. Both men aligned on building more homes and tackling the cost of living squeeze that, as Mamdani argued, is pushing families to the brink. Trump also floated leaning on ConEdison to ease electricity tariffs, signalling that affordability fixes could come from multiple levers.
On City Hall policy, Mamdani talked up rent relief, faster municipal buses that are free to ride, and a practical approach to safety. He plans to keep the NYPD at around 35,000 officers, while diverting more non‑emergency calls to trained mental‑health responders. The mayor‑elect cast those moves as part of a single mission: get residents out of a mounting cost spiral and stabilise everyday life.
For his part, Trump praised Mamdani’s campaign and said he wanted to assist New York beyond partisan divides. The president even indicated he would be comfortable living in the city under the incoming administration, a symbolic nod to détente after months of mutual taunts.
Press grilling, brisk quips and big numbers
The friendlier vibe did not stop tough questions. When Fox News correspondent Jacqui Heinrich pressed Mamdani on whether he still thinks Trump is a “fascist”, the mayor‑elect initially pivoted to common ground. Trump jumped in with the cheeky aside, “Just say yes,” adding he had been called worse over the years.
According to multiple reports, the president also sought to shield his guest from conservative crossfire. As Republican congresswoman Elise Stefanik’s “jihadist” line lingered from campaign days, Trump waved it away as election rhetoric and painted Mamdani as a rational actor focused on fixing New York. At another tense moment, he reassured the mayor‑elect with:
“I’ll stick up for you.”
Mamdani, meanwhile, underlined that cooperation would not erase disagreements. He reiterated the twin track he had laid out on the trail: keep the NYPD near 35,000 officers and shift more non‑urgent calls to health professionals, aiming to free police for serious crime and prevent situations from escalating.
International matters briefly intruded. On Ukraine, Trump signalled that continued American aid would hinge on a deal, saying Kyiv would either have to accept his plan or keep fighting, and claiming casualties are higher than publicly reported. After the sit‑down, he posted glossy images of the meeting on Truth Social, praising the encounter.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to Fox News Digital. But both sides expressed interest in meeting again to keep the affordability work moving.
Strategy or sincere thaw
Not everyone read the warmth at face value. A Republican insider suggested the embrace was tactical, designed to stoke divisions among Democrats by contrasting a deal‑seeking president with party figures portrayed as reluctant to work with Mamdani. The same source name‑checked House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries while arguing Trump had poured political petrol on intra‑party tensions.
That lens sits alongside a sharp campaign history. The president had previously mocked Mamdani as a “100 percent crazy communist”, even talking about expelling him and cutting federal funds to New York. Yet inside the Oval Office, he leaned into common priorities: affordability, housing, safety and stricter immigration enforcement.
Mamdani kept his balance on the tightrope. He later affirmed on national television that his past critiques of Trump still stand, while insisting the job is to serve New Yorkers first. The headline figures he cites are stark: 8.5 million residents, with one in four living in poverty. For a city that lives or dies by its costs, the duo’s sudden truce may be judged by whether the shopping bill, the rent and the power bill actually fall.
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