Trump and Mamdani praise each other after meeting face to face at White House

ruff and NYC mayor-elect Mamdani receive at edward d. White domiciliate

Zohran Mamdani elected next mayor of New York

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Mamdani says it’s his job to improve affordability in NYC — and to deal with Trump

After months of calling Zohran Mamdani a "communist lunatic," a "total nut job" and similar insults and warning he'd be terrible for New York City, U.S. President Donald Trump took a completely different tone toward the mayor-elect this afternoon.

The atmosphere in the Oval Office was respectful, cordial, almost warm as the two took questions from the media and discussed areas of common interest, such as housing and cost of living.

This, of course, doesn’t mean relations will remain as friendly once Mamdani takes office in January.

But it seems Mamdami made a good impression on the president with his focus on making life more affordable for New Yorkers and getting more housing built.

"I met with a man who's a very rational person," Trump said. "I met with a man who really wants to see New York be great again."

If there’s one thing Trump likes, it’s a winner. "It's an amazing thing that he did," Trump said of Mamdani's improbable rise from relative obscurity to the mayoralty of the country's largest — and wealthiest — city.

Perhaps Mamdani's decisive victory is part of what’s driving Trump to find common ground with the democratic socialist.

We’re finishing our live updates for today but will have more coverage on cbc.ca/news.

A similar phenomenon occurred in the 2024 election when some New York voters split the ticket and supported both Trump for president and far-left Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Congress.

Trump and AOC's anti-establishment authenticity and straight-talking communication style resonated with New Yorkers. Both are also extremely adept at using social media to talk directly to their supporters.

Mamdani shares similar traits.

The question now is what will Mamdani's supporters back in New York think of the chummy exchange between him and Trump.

I wouldn’t put it past most New Yorkers to shrug it off as long as he delivers on his promise to get their costs down.

‘It’s OK’: Trump jokes Mamdani can call him a fascist

U.S. President Donald Trump and New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani have made combative statements about each other recently, but a White House meeting Friday was uncontentious, despite repeated questions about their history.

New Yorkers across the board take a lot of pride in showing their love for their city, and Trump and Mamdani seemed no different at today's press conference when talking about the city.

The two seemed to enjoy presenting themselves as New Yorkers and putting love for the city above politics. At one point, in response to a reporter's question, Trump said he'd be "very comfortable" living in Mamdani's version of the city.

Their friendly exchange mirrored how people in the biggest city in the U.S. Try to get along: argue hard but, for the most part, mind your own business and move on.

Trump and Mamdani also seem to have a shared understanding of how New Yorkers like to be talked to: directly, no BS.

Trump was asked if he viewed Mamdani as the true leader of the Democratic Party.

Trump said he hopes the party has great leaders and that Mamdani is focused on New York City — but then he shifted the question to the mayor-elect.

Mamdami deflected, saying: “I keep my horizons firmly on New York City.”

Some Democrats see Mamdani and his brand of progressive policies as the future of the party.

Trump has been under pressure for not delivering on his promises to bring down the cost of living in the U.S. One of those costs that has been rising particularly sharply is electricity, up 5.1 per cent nationally in the past year.

After Mamdani spoke about his own affordability-focused campaign, Trump jumped in with some comments about Con Edison, the electricity provider in New York City.

“We've got fuel prices way down, but it hasn't shown up in Con Edison. We're going to have to talk to them,” Trump said. “We have to get Con Edison to start lowering their rates.”

To which Mamdani responded: "Absolutely."

Inside the Oval Office earlier, Mamdani answered a question about the rise of antisemitism in New York by saying he cares very deeply about Jewish safety.

“I look forward to rooting out antisemitism across the five boroughs and protecting Jewish New Yorkers and every New Yorker who calls the city home," he said.

Mamdani has drawn criticism and accusations of antisemitism for his pro-Palestinian stances and criticism of Israel. (Trump himself said before the mayoral election that Jewish voters would be “stupid” to vote for Mamdani.)

The mayor-elect has rejected those accusations, saying his criticism is focused on Israel.

Yet he has received some support from Jewish voters, particularly progressive ones. And he has attempted to ease tensions by reaching out to rabbis and Jewish community leaders.

Still, following his victory, major New York Jewish organizations released a statement that said Mamdani holds “core beliefs fundamentally at odds with our community’s deepest convictions and most cherished values”

They added they will hold Mamdani accountable to ensure New York remains a place “where Jewish life and support for Israel are protected and can thrive.”

The two leaders have finished speaking.

If you were expecting to hear the president tear into the mayor-elect, you might be disappointed by the lack of fireworks. On the contrary, Trump appears to be impressed by Mamdani.

“We had a meeting today that actually surprised me,” Trump said. “He wants to see no crime. He wants to see housing being built. He wants to see rents coming down. All things that I agree with.”

Trump acknowledged the two may “disagree how we get there,” but professed a desire to help Mamdani as he takes over the mayor’s office.

“I expect to be helping him, not hurting him — a big help, because I want New York City to be great,” Trump said.

The two men made reference to the exit polls for the mayoral election, which suggested a notable proportion of New Yorkers who backed Trump in last year’s presidential election also picked Mamdani for mayor, despite their ideological differences.

“A lot of my voters actually voted for him,” Trump said.

“One in ten,” Mamdani chipped in.

“And I’m OK with that,” Trump added.

Mamdani says he and Trump shared their admiration and love for New York and the need to deliver affordability to New Yorkers.

He said they spoke about issues like groceries, rent, utilities and the different ways people are being pushed out of the city.

“I appreciated the time with the president. I appreciated your conversation,” Mamdani said.

When asked about comments he made about Trump in the past — for example, calling him a despot and running a fascist agenda — Mamdani deflected.

“We are very clear about our positions and our views,” he said. “And what I really appreciate about the president is the meeting that we had focused not on places of disagreement, of which there are many, [but instead] focused on the shared purpose that we have in serving New Yorkers.”

Trump is seated at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, with Mamdani standing to his right.

“We had discussions on some things, I'm not gonna discuss what they were,” Trump said in response to a question from a reporter.

“I feel very confident that he can do a good job” Trump said of Mamdani. “I think he’s gonna surprise some conservative people.”

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