Smiles, Praises & Promises: Trump, Mamdani Set Aside Bitter Feud At 'Friendly' White House Meeting

Last Updated:November 22, 2025, 04:03 IST

Donald Trump and Zohran Mamdani kept their differences aside in their first meeting at the White House, striking a friendly tone and calling their discussion "productive".

US President Donald Trump and New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani had a civil meeting in the White House. (AFP)

US President Donald Trump and New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, two bitter rivals who clashed bitterly in public for months over their sharp political differences, came face-to-face for a high-stakes meeting at the White House, their first direct interaction since Mamdani created history in the New York mayoral polls.

Months of name-calling and fiery exchanges had sparked concerns of a tense standoff. With Trump calling Mamdani a “communist" and “lunatic", and the Mayor-elect calling him “fascist" and a “despot", people were bracing to see sparks fly at the Oval Office, similar to what happened with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this year.

However, the meeting turned out to be unusually friendly and civil, as a beaming Trump came out full of praise for Mamdani and repeatedly pledged to help the Indian-origin Assemblyman in his new role. Mamdani also shed some of the bitterness of the past and hailed a “productive" meeting with the president, saying the two would work together for the benefit of New York.

READ MORE: Trump Hails ‘Productive’ Meeting With New York Mayor-Elect Mamdani At White House, Vows Support

A Productive Meeting

Trump and Mamdani called their meeting “productive", keeping their bitter feud and political differences aside. Trump congratulated Mamdani on what he described as an “incredible race" and said the two men shared a commitment to improving life in the country’s largest city.

“He really ran an incredible race against, you know, a lot of smart people, starting with the early primaries against some very tough people, very smart people. And he beat them and he beat them easily. And I congratulated him and we talked about some things in very strong common, like housing and getting housing built, and food, prices and the price of oil is coming way down," Trump said.

“The better he does, the happier I am. I will say it, there is no difference in party. There’s no difference in anything. We’re going to be helping him to make everybody’s dream come true, having a strong and very safe New York," the president added.

Mamdani also struck a conciliatory tone at the meeting. “The meeting with the president and as he said, it was a productive meeting focused on a place of shared admiration and love, which is New York City, and the need to deliver affordability to New Yorkers," he said.

“We spoke about rent, we spoke about groceries, we spoke about utilities. We spoke about the different ways in which people are being pushed out. And I appreciated the time with the president. I appreciated the conversation. I look forward to working together to deliver that affordability for New Yorkers," he added.

Previous Inflammatory Remarks

There were several light-hearted remarks in the presser. When asked about his earlier remarks calling Mamdani a “communist", Trump said the New York Mayor-elect had “has “got views that are a little out there."

“We’re going to see what works, or he’s going to change, also. We all change. I changed a lot, I changed a lot from when I first came to office. It’s now quite a while ago, quite a while," he added. Mamdani was also asked about his remarks, where he called Trump a “fascist" and a “despot".

The New York Assemblyman said their conversation focused not on their political disagreements, but on their “shared purpose" of serving New Yorkers. Trump then jokingly said, “I’ve been called much worse than a despot. So it’s not that insulting".

Before Mamdani could answer a question about his “fascist" jibe at Trump, the president tapped his arm and said, “That’s OK, you can just say yes, OK? It’s easier. It’s easier than explaining it, I don’t mind." The moment evoked smiles and laughter in the Oval Office.

Shared Goals Of Affordability

Trump and Mamdani highlighted their campaigns focusing on the issue of affordability and cost of living. Mamdani said he spoke to many New Yorkers who voted for Trump for affordability and said he was working to address those concerns.

“I think that there are many things in our city where we have to own the responsibility of it, things that existed long before the president was the president… part of the message of our campaign was to take on the broken politics of the past," he said.

Meanwhile, Trump said he agreed on several issues with Mamdani. “e had some interesting conversation, and some of his ideas are really the same ideas that I have. But a big thing on cost. You know, the new word is ‘affordability.’ Another word is just ‘groceries.’ It’s sort of an old-fashioned word but it’s very accurate. And they’re coming down," he said.

Trump’s Praise For Mamdani

Trump repeatedly emphasised his similarities with Mamdani and his support for the Mayor-elect. “We had a meeting today that actually surprised me," he 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."

The president said he would work out their differences over the deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and crime in the city, asserting their shared goal of a safer New York. Asked if he would feel comfortable living in New York City under Mamdani’s leadership as mayor, Trump said, “Yeah, I would."

Trump also dialled back his threats of cutting federal funds for New York after Mamdani’s victory. “I expect to be helping him, not hurting him. We agree on a lot more than I would’ve thought."

The two leaders shook hands before calling the meeting to an end, and Trump said he hoped they could meet again. “I don’t care about affiliations or parties or anything else. I want to see, if this city could be unbelievable, if he could be a spectacular success, I’d be very happy," Trump said.

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