Political opposites President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani continue to have a surprisingly friendly relationship. In an interview on Meet the Press last month, Mamdani called Trump “honest, direct, and productive,” not the kinds of words Democrats typically use about Trump. When asked about the unusual nature of their relationship, Mamdani attributed it to the fact that they are both New Yorkers, saying, “New York City holds a very special place for him as well as for me. We’re both from the same city.”These friendly comments come in the wake of their initial November meeting in the White House, which shocked observers by turning into an unexpected lovefest. Even though the men had called each other quite critical names over the course of Mamdani’s successful mayoral run, including “communist,” “fascist,” and “despot,” they were all smiles when they met in person. Things remained friendly after the meeting, with the two men maintaining an ongoing texting relationship. The men were both genial and cooperative in a February meeting on housing investment in New York, and Mamdani got Trump to release a Columbia University student from ICE detention. Even though Trump has privately admitted to being irked by Mamdani on occasion, the mayor’s latest comments show that their friendship remains intact.Perhaps the Trump-Mamdani friendship shouldn’t be so surprising. Trump, for his part, has long been known to be a bear in public but disarmingly gracious behind closed doors. As for Mamdani, presidential historian and former Mario Cuomo aide Harold Holzer told me that the mayor “has figured out that flattery will get him everywhere — and Trump is lapping it up.” It is also clearly not lost on Mamdani that the federal government spends $337 billion in New York, which is over $200 billion more than New York’s own annual budget. Without that money going to Medicaid, welfare, public housing, transit, and education, New York would be in even more dire financial straits than it already is.