After meeting with newly elected New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, both told reporters it was “productive” and expressed a strong willingness to work together to make New York prosper.
Trump congratulated Mamdani and said their meeting was “great.” He continued: “We have one thing in common: we want this city of ours, which we love, to do very well.”
The meeting, which was initially closed to the press, opened for a press conference around 4:00 PM ET.
Trump said the following to start his press conference with Mamdani:
Trump: We just had a great meeting, a very good, very productive meeting. We have one thing in common: we want this city of ours, which we love so much, to do very well. And I wanted to congratulate the mayor. He really ran an incredible race against a lot of smart people, starting with the early primaries, against some very strong people, very smart people, and he beat them, and he beat them easily. And I congratulated him, and we talked about some things that had a lot in common, like housing and getting houses built, food and prices. And the oil price is falling sharply; everything I do will be good for New York. If I can get prices down, that’s good for New York, and we got them down, much lower than last year.
As you know, I’ve said to a lot of people, Walmart said Thanksgiving this year is exactly 25% less than last year. So that’s good for New York, good for everyone. But I just want to congratulate you. I think you’re going to, hopefully, get a really great mayor. The better he does, the happier I am, so to speak. There is no difference in parties. There is no difference anywhere, and we are going to help him make everyone’s dream come true: a strong and very safe New York. And congratulations, Mr. Mayor.
Mamdani also delivered brief remarks, thanking the President for hosting him in the Oval Office to discuss “New York City and the need to provide affordability to New Yorkers, the eight and a half million people who call our city home, who are struggling to afford living in the most expensive city in the United States of America.”
Mamdani: I appreciated the meeting with the President, and as he said, it was a productive meeting focused on a place of shared admiration and love, namely New York City and the need to provide affordability to New Yorkers, the eight and a half million people who call our city home, who struggle to afford life in the most expensive city in the United States of America. We talked about rent, we talked about groceries, we talked about utilities, we talked about the different ways people are being displaced. And I appreciated the time with the president. I appreciated the conversation. I look forward to working together to make that affordability a reality for New Yorkers.
Trump then made a shocking announcement to reporters and all of America, saying that Zohran “is going to change” and that he “could surprise some conservative people.” Trump added: “I mean, he has views that are a little off, but who knows? I mean, we’ll see what works.”
Stephen Nelson of the New York Post questioned President Trump and Mamdani about their differences and trading barbs, with Trump calling Mamdani a communist and Mamdani calling Trump a despot and a fascist.
This is when Trump assured reporters that “I have every confidence that he can do a very good job.”
Mamdani also expressed gratitude to the president that their meeting “did not focus on places of disagreement, as there are many, and also on the shared purpose we have in serving New Yorkers,” expressing optimism about their relationship.
Trump joked: “I’ve been called a lot worse than a despot, so it’s not that offensive. Maybe I think he’ll change his mind once we start working together.”
WATCH:
Nelson: You called Mr Mamdani a communist. Can you describe why you feel this way? And will you also do everything to prevent him from arresting Prime Minister Netanyahu when he visits New York?
Trump: Well, we haven’t discussed your second part of the question, and as for your first part, I mean, he has views that are a little strange, but who knows? I mean, we’re going to see what works. He’s going to change too. We all change. I’ve changed a lot, changed a lot since I first came into the office. It’s been a while now. It’s quite a while. My first term was great. We had the largest economy in the history of our country. We are doing even better now. We are doing much better now than in the first term. And I can tell you that some of my views have changed and we’ve had a discussion about something. I’m not going to discuss what they were, but I have every confidence that he can do a very good job. I think he’s going to be, I think he’s going to surprise even some conservative people. And he won’t surprise some very liberal people, because they already like him.
Nelson: And Mr. Mamdani, it sounds like you’ve had a productive discussion, but a few days ago you called President Trump a despot who betrayed the country. You said you would be his worst nightmare and accused him of having a fascist agenda. Are you claiming that you are retracting any of these comments to improve your relationship?
Mamdani: I think both President Trump and I are very clear about our positions and positions. And what I really appreciate about the president is that the meeting we had focused not on areas of disagreement, which there are many, but also on the shared purpose that we have in serving New Yorkers. And honestly, that’s something that could transform the lives of eight and a half million people, who are currently facing a cost of living crisis, with one in four living in poverty. And the meeting returned again and again to what it might look like to take those New Yorkers out of the struggle and into a city where they could do more than just struggle to afford it, but actually live in it.
Trump: And I’ve been called much worse than a despot, so it’s not that insulting. Maybe… I think he’ll change his mind if we start working together.
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