Trump said Friday he was surprised by the extent to which he agreed with the democratic socialist, especially when it came to issues of affordability.
“He wants to see no crime, he wants to see housing built, he wants to see rents go down. All things I agree with,” Trump told reporters. during a joint media briefing on Friday.
Mamdani met with Trump in Washington, D.C., on Friday, and then the two took questions from reporters in the Oval Office.
It seems that Mamdani has been able to tap into a core problem of Trump’s personality: the development of New York City. The President said one of the things he learned from their meeting was that Mamdani agreed that the way to lower rents is to build more housing. The president said this had not been clear to him based on media reports. He was probably referring to Mamdani’s promise to freeze rents for stabilized tenants for four years. The newly elected mayor has also said he wants to build 200,000 apartments over the next ten years.
“He would like to see them go away, ideally by building lots of additional housing,” Trump said. “That’s the ultimate way. He agrees with that, and so do I.”
The two would probably disagree on zoning reform. The Trump administration has rolled back Obama-era rules that required local governments that receive federal funds to address discriminatory housing policies, including zoning rules that have reinforced segregation. He has too belittled forcing suburbs to welcome low-income housing into their neighborhoods.
Mamdani said the two also discussed the need for housing regulations to be manageable and not delay construction further. When asked about comments he made about wanting to raise taxes on “richer, whiter neighborhoods,” Mamdani pushed back on the reporter’s characterization of the term as “race-based property taxes,” saying this referred to the makeup of neighborhoods, not an expression of intent.
“We intend to create a fair property tax system because we want a New York City that is not only fair and just, but one that every New Yorker can afford,” the newly elected mayor said.
The two showed a surprising amount of warmth towards each other, as Trump called Mamdani a “communist fooland stoked fears that he would deploy National Guard officers in the city. Mamdani also has not been shy about criticizing the president. During his victory speech this month, Mamdani addressed Trump directly, saying the city could show the rest of the nation how to beat him.
But Trump said he wants to help New York City and said he would be comfortable under a Mamdani administration.
“I think you’ll have, hopefully, a very great mayor,” Trump said. “I expect to help him, not hurt him.”
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