New York mayor-elect reaffirms past criticisms of president after agreeing to work with him on cost-of-living concerns
Zohran Mamdani has reiterated his view that Donald Trump is a “fascist” and a “despot” just days after the pair had a surprisingly cordial meeting at the White House.
Speaking to NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, the New York City mayor-elect was asked if he still considered Trump a threat to democracy. “Everything that I’ve said in the past I continue to believe,” Mamdani replied. “I think it is important in our politics that we don’t shy away from where we have disagreements.”
In his victory speech on 4 November, Mamdani said New York had demonstrated it could be the “light” in a “moment of political darkness”, taking aim at the president. “If there is any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power,” Mamdani said. “So, Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: turn the volume up.”
Given the intense rhetoric Trump has used against Mamdani in recent months, including calling him a “communist lunatic”, the White House meeting was highly anticipated and expected to be contentious. Instead, it produced warm words, with Trump even saying, “I feel very confident that he can do a good job” and adding, “I think he’s going to surprise some conservative people, actually.”
