On November 21, 2025, the political script in Washington took a sharp turn no one saw coming. President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, two men who had spent months trading heated insults and dire threats, emerged from their first face-to-face meeting at the White House not as adversaries, but as surprisingly cordial partners. The spectacle left pundits, politicians, and everyday New Yorkers alike blinking in disbelief—and, for some, even a little bit hopeful.
Just weeks earlier, the very idea of a friendly encounter between Trump, a Republican president known for his hardline stances and brash rhetoric, and Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist and rising star in New York politics, seemed laughable. Trump had repeatedly branded Mamdani a “communist lunatic” and warned that his election would spell doom for America’s largest city. He threatened to withhold federal funding and even floated the idea of deploying the National Guard to New York if Mamdani took office. Mamdani, for his part, called Trump a “despot” and a “fascist,” and built much of his mayoral campaign around opposing the president’s policies—especially on immigration and affordability.
Yet, as the two men appeared before the press in the Oval Office after a closed-door meeting that lasted less than an hour, the mood was almost jovial. Trump, seated with Mamdani standing at his side, described the mayor-elect as a “rational man” who “really wants to see New York be great again.” He went even further, saying, “I feel very confident that he can do a good job. I think he is going to surprise some conservative people, actually.” The president joked about the insults exchanged during the campaign—“I’ve been called much worse than a despot,” he quipped—and repeatedly emphasized areas of agreement, particularly the urgent issue of affordability in New York City.
“The new word is ‘affordability,’” Trump told reporters, underscoring a theme both men had campaigned on, albeit from very different ideological perspectives. Trump noted his administration had “gotten fuel prices way down,” but acknowledged that the savings hadn’t yet translated to lower Con Edison bills for New Yorkers—a frustration Mamdani echoed. Both leaders signaled an intent to work together on lowering electricity costs and addressing the city’s punishing cost of living.
Mamdani, who won the mayoral election earlier in November by carrying every borough except the Republican stronghold of Staten Island, struck a conciliatory tone. “Politicians are looking to lecture to New Yorkers what they should care about, as opposed to listen,” he said. “And when we spoke to those voters who voted for President Trump, we heard them speak about the cost of living. We focused on that same cost of living.” This nod to Trump’s working-class base was no accident; Mamdani’s campaign had made significant inroads with voters frustrated by soaring rents, utility bills, and the sense that the political establishment—Democratic and Republican alike—had left them behind.
Observers across the political spectrum scrambled to make sense of the unexpected thaw. State Senator Peter Oberacker, a Republican, cautioned that despite the friendly optics, Mamdani’s “extraordinarily radical, socialist, and dangerous proposals” remained deeply concerning for many conservatives. “The devil is always in the details, and the Mayor-elect won’t be getting a free pass because of one good meeting,” Oberacker said. On the other side, Jennifer Colamonico, Chairwoman of the Putnam County Democratic Committee, suggested that Mamdani had “called Trump’s bluff” by focusing on shared issues rather than taking the bait of personal attacks. “They both ran on affordability, and that is still an issue. Because Trump hasn’t delivered on that, but Mamdani did not point that out,” she noted, adding that Trump “loves a rising star” and might see an opportunity to reclaim some of his brand value for New York City.
New Yorkers themselves reacted with a mix of skepticism, relief, and cautious optimism. “I really don’t like the guy, but I’m glad that he was able to go in there and do a good job with the president,” said John Lani, a Central Park jogger interviewed by CNN. “Maybe we’ll get some funding, we won’t shut down congestion pricing. Maybe we’ll get some stuff for the subway, we’ll see what it does for the state.” Others, like Shelly Payson, saw Mamdani’s strategy as savvy: “If people are smart they find a way to give [Trump] something which may be meaningless, but it’s important to him and then he loves you and rolls out the red carpet.”
The stakes of the Trump-Mamdani relationship are enormous. New York’s ambitious plans for free universal childcare, fast and free city buses, and expanded housing all hinge on funding streams that run through Albany and, ultimately, Washington. The threat of federal intervention—whether in the form of immigration raids or the deployment of National Guard troops—has loomed large since Trump’s reelection. But after the meeting, Trump told reporters, “Right now, other places need [the National Guard] more,” suggesting that, at least for the moment, a direct confrontation was off the table.
The meeting was not without its surreal moments. When a reporter pressed Mamdani to say whether he considered Trump a fascist, Trump interjected with a grin, “You can just say yes. It’s easier.” Mamdani chuckled awkwardly and replied, “OK, all right.” The two men even found common ground on the city’s police commissioner—Trump praised Mamdani’s decision to keep Jessica Tisch in the job, noting that his daughter Ivanka considered Tisch a friend. And when a reporter asked why Mamdani had flown to Washington instead of taking the train, Trump leapt to his defense: “If he flew, that’s a lot quicker. I’ll stick up for you.”
Behind the scenes, both camps acknowledged that the cordiality masked deep and unresolved disagreements. Elle Bisgaard-Church, Mamdani’s closest adviser, told NY1 that while they were “very heartened” by the opportunity to discuss affordability with Trump, they were “clear about our disagreements in the room,” particularly on immigration enforcement. Still, Bisgaard-Church said, “Trump understands that New York City is a special place” and appears willing to help address its cost crisis.
Not everyone was convinced the new détente would last. Conservative radio host Sid Rosenberg, who has been sharply critical of Mamdani, admitted to being “shocked” at Trump’s warm reception. “He meets with people, from the Putins to Kim Jong-un, horrible people… he meets with them. That’s how he fixes stuff. I get it,” Rosenberg said, though he remained deeply skeptical of Mamdani’s politics. Democratic Socialists of America co-chair Grace Mausser warned, “I don’t think Trump is a particularly consistent or morally guided actor so we need to prepare for potentially increased federal activity in the city.”
For now, though, the mood in New York is one of cautious optimism. Even Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader who never endorsed Mamdani, called the meeting “good for New York.” Kathryn S. Wylde, head of a major business group, praised Mamdani’s “leadership skills and discipline” in navigating the high-stakes encounter. And Trump, ever the showman, seemed to relish the media frenzy: “The press has eaten this thing up. I’ve had a lot of meetings with the heads of major countries, nobody cared. This meeting—you people have gone crazy.”
How long the newfound warmth between Trump and Mamdani will last is anyone’s guess. But for one afternoon in November, the two men managed to set aside their differences and talk about making New York City a better place—a rare moment of political theater that, for once, left the city a little more hopeful than before.
