President Donald Trump has confirmed a long-awaited meeting with New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, scheduled for Friday in the Oval Office. The sit-down, announced by Trump on social media on Wednesday night, brings together two political opposites who have traded barbs for months.
Trump has previously criticised Mamdani, labelling him a 'communist' and threatening to deport the incoming mayor, who was born in Uganda and became a naturalised US citizen in 2018. Despite the antagonism, the meeting could signal a détente between the Republican president and the Democratic socialist rising star.
Mamdani’s spokesperson, Dora Pekec, said the mayor-elect plans to discuss 'public safety, economic security and the affordability agenda that over one million New Yorkers voted for just two weeks ago'. Mamdani, who officially takes office in January, has also spoken about 'Trump-proofing' New York while pledging to work with anyone who benefits the city.
Trump, who had previously predicted ruin for New York under Mamdani, has recently shifted focus to affordability, declaring the Republican Party the 'Party of Affordability'. The meeting comes after Trump told reporters he planned to 'work something out' with Mamdani.
The encounter marks a potential turning point in the relationship between the president and the incoming mayor, who rose from obscurity as a state lawmaker to lead the nation’s largest city with a victory speech that aimed to show how to defeat Trump.
