New York City's incoming mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Sunday (November 23) he continues to believe US President Donald Trump is a fascist, even after a cordial meeting at the White House last Friday.
"That's something that I've said in the past, I say it today," Mamdani told NBC News.
Mamdani met Trump to discuss city priorities, setting aside months of public recriminations.
“Everything that I’ve said in the past, I continue to believe,” Mamdani said. “We don’t shy away from where we have disagreements, but we understand what it is that brings us to that table… I’m coming in there to deliver for New Yorkers."
Trump, who had previously criticized Mamdani and suggested he should be deported, even interjected during the White House briefing.
"That's OK. You can just say it. That's easier," Trump told Mamdani. "It's easier than explaining it. I don't mind."
Shared focus on affordability crisis
Despite their stark political differences, both leaders highlighted affordability as a key concern for voters.
“I shared with the president that when I asked those New Yorkers why they voted for the president, they told me again and again it was cost of living, cost of living, cost of living,” Mamdani said.
The incoming mayor elaborated that housing, childcare, groceries, and utilities were central to his campaign and to discussions with Trump.
“I found in the meeting that I had with the president a productive one… coming back again and again to the central themes of the campaign that we ran: the cost of housing, cost of child care, the cost of groceries, the cost of utilities.”
Mutual respect despite past attacks
The two have publicly criticized each other in the past — Trump called Mamdani a “100% Communist Lunatic,” while Mamdani accused Trump of attacking democracy. Yet after Friday’s meeting, both emerged smiling and discussed shared goals for the city.
Trump praised Mamdani's historic election victory and expressed confidence in his leadership.
"We're going to be helping him to make everybody's dream come true: having a strong and very safe New York," Trump said.
