Trump shows Mamdani love, says he will do a good job

US President Donald Trump said he had a “very productive meeting” with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and expressed confidence “he can do a very good job”, as the two adopted a mutually warm tone after months of engaging in bitter rhetoric against each other.

Mamdani flew to Washington DC for his first meeting with Trump in the White House on Friday. Trump said he “enjoyed” the meeting, which he described as “great”.

“We’ve just had a great meeting. We have one thing in common; we want this city of ours to do very well. I wanted to congratulate the Mayor. He really ran an incredible race against a lot of smart people, starting with the early primaries…and he beat them easily,” Trump said in the Oval Office, as Mamdani stood next to him.

When asked if he would feel comfortable living in New York City under a Mamdani administration, Trump responded emphatically, “Yeah, I would, especially after the meeting. Absolutely.” He added that they agreed on “a lot more than I would have thought. I want him to do a great job, and we’ll help him do a great job. He may have different views….I would feel very, very comfortable being in New York, and I think much more so after the meeting.”

Mamdani said he “appreciated” the meeting with Trump, also describing it as a “productive” one “focused on a place of shared admiration and love, which is New York City and the need to deliver affordability to New Yorkers — the 8.5 million people who call our city their home, who are struggling to afford life in the most expensive city” in the US.

Mamdani said the two spoke about issues such as rent, groceries, utilities, affordability, the cost of living crisis and housing.

“I appreciated the time with the President. I appreciate the conversation. I look forward to working together to deliver that affordability for New Yorkers,” he said.

The mutually warm and friendly tone of Trump and Mamdani was in stark contrast to their vitriolic attacks against each other during the NYC mayoral election campaign and after Mamdani emerged victorious on November 4, defeating Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, who was officially endorsed by Trump just hours before the elections. - PTI