U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that he held a “very productive meeting” with New York City’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, marking the first in-person encounter between the two political rivals who have frequently clashed on policy.
“We’ve just had a great, very productive meeting,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, saying the two men share one goal: “We want this city of ours that we love to do very well. The better he does, the happier I am.”
Trump said his administration would work with the incoming mayor to improve life for residents of the country’s financial capital. “We’re going to be helping him to make everybody’s dream come true, having a strong and very safe New York,” he said.
The meeting came only weeks after Mamdani, a Democratic socialist and state lawmaker, won New York’s mayoral race. He requested the White House sit-down to discuss cost-of-living pressures and public safety, two issues he said were central to his campaign.
Trump, who invited journalists into the Oval Office following the private portion of their talks, congratulated Mamdani on his victory. “He really ran an incredible race against some very tough people,” he said.
