President Donald Trump and New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani are slated to meet Friday at the White House, a notable face-to-face encounter following months of sharp public criticism between the two leaders. The meeting was confirmed after Mamdani’s team reached out to the administration earlier in the week to request a discussion focused on New York’s rising cost of living and the city’s strained affordability.
Trump announced the planned meeting Wednesday night in a Truth Social post, saying Mamdani had asked for a sit-down and that both sides “agreed that this meeting will take place at the Oval Office” on Friday. He added that additional details would follow, and in the same post he again labeled Mamdani a “communist,” a term he has repeatedly used to describe the mayor-elect despite Mamdani calling himself a democratic socialist.
A spokesperson for Mamdani confirmed the planned visit. Dora Pekec said the mayor-elect intends to discuss public safety, economic security and the affordability agenda that more than one million New Yorkers supported at the polls two weeks ago. Mamdani told reporters Monday that his outreach to the White House was part of a campaign promise to address the affordability crisis that, he said, has forced many residents to leave the city. He also argued that Trump’s economic policies have contributed to rising costs for New Yorkers.
In an interview with NBC New York last week, Mamdani emphasized that maintaining a working relationship with Trump would be “critical to the success of the city.” Trump, who endorsed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in his independent run for mayor, has continued to brand Mamdani as a “communist” in recent months, while dismissing concerns raised by voters about inflation and cost-of-living pressures.
Despite their clashes, Trump suggested Sunday that tensions had cooled. He said Mamdani had shown interest in traveling to Washington and added, “we want to see everything work out well for New York.” Mamdani campaigned as a staunch critic of Trump, promoting a platform centered on lowering child care, housing, grocery and transportation costs for New Yorkers.
AP
