NEW YORK: New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has reaffirmed his past remarks calling US President Donald Trump a “fascist” and a “despot”, even after the two held their first in-person meeting at the White House on Friday.
Appearing on NBC News’ Meet the Press on Saturday, Mamdani said he stood by everything he had said about the President. “Everything that I’ve said in the past, I continue to believe,” he stated, adding that political disagreements should not obstruct governance. “I’m not coming into the Oval Office to make a point or make a stand. I’m coming in there to deliver for New Yorkers.”
Despite the tension around Mamdani’s earlier comments, both leaders described Friday’s meeting as “productive”. Trump struck a notably warmer tone, telling reporters he would be “cheering” for the incoming mayor.
Mamdani revealed that their discussion focused largely on affordability issues that have increasingly burdened New Yorkers. He said residents he met on the campaign trail, including Trump supporters in Queens and the Bronx, cited rising living costs as their primary concern.
He said he told the President that tackling affordability would be his top priority as mayor. He also noted Trump’s campaign pledge to reduce costs from the first day of his second term.
Asked again about calling Trump a “fascist”, Mamdani said he had already addressed the matter — prompting Trump to interject humorously: “That’s okay, you can just say yes. It’s easier than explaining it, I don’t mind,” the President said, patting Mamdani on the arm.
The two also discussed Trump’s earlier suggestion that he might deploy the National Guard to New York City. Mamdani declined to say whether Trump had promised not to do so, but said he made clear the NYPD was capable of handling public safety. Trump later told reporters he would send troops only “if they need it”, calling the exchange constructive.
In the run-up to Election Day, Trump frequently attacked Mamdani on social media, calling him a “communist lunatic” and warning of potential cuts to federal funding if he won. The President had endorsed Mamdani’s rival, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic primary.
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