Trump and Mamdani Strike Unexpectedly Warm Tone in First Oval Office Meeting

For months, the political clash between US President Donald Trump and New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani appeared inevitable. The two had exchanged some of the most caustic rhetoric in American politics: Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, labelled Trump a “fascist” and “despot,” while Trump dismissed him as a “100% Communist Lunatic,” “Jew hater,” and “total nut job.”

Yet when the two finally sat down in the Oval Office on Friday, the long-anticipated confrontation instead unfolded as an unexpectedly cordial encounter—marked by humour, measured language, and surprising convergence on key issues.

A Meeting Expected to Explode Instead Starts With Laughter

The meeting had been framed as a face-off between two adversaries who had spent months attacking each other throughout the New York mayoral race. But the tension dissolved almost immediately. Trump brushed aside Mamdani’s earlier “despot” remark with a laugh—“I’ve been called much worse”—and added that Mamdani might “change his mind once he gets to know me.”

Trump even placed a conciliatory hand on Mamdani’s shoulder as he told reporters, “I think you’re going to have, hopefully, a really great mayor. The better he does, the happier I am.”

Despite repeated attempts by reporters to provoke conflict, both leaders steered the conversation toward shared concerns.

Common Ground: Affordability and Safety

Throughout the meeting, Trump and Mamdani repeatedly returned to two central themes: affordability and public safety.

Trump said, “We’ve just had a great meeting, a very productive meeting. We have one thing in common — We want this city of ours that we love to do very well.”

Mamdani outlined the financial pressures facing New Yorkers—rising grocery bills, soaring utility costs, healthcare burdens, and the ongoing housing crisis—stating that their discussion was “focused on a place of shared admiration and love, which is New York City, and the need to deliver affordability.”

Public safety was another clear area of alignment. Trump said, “He wants to have a safe New York. Ultimately, a safe New York is going to be a great New York. He doesn’t want to see crime, and I don’t want to see crime.”

Trump Signals Cooperation With the Man He Once Vilified

In a notable shift from campaign-season hostility, Trump repeatedly emphasised his willingness to collaborate with Mamdani.

“I expect to be helping him, not hurting him,” Trump said, adding, “We are going to be helping him to make everybody’s dream come true.”

He praised Mamdani’s election victory — “He really ran an incredible race against some very tough, very smart people” — and suggested the mayor-elect could “surprise some conservative people.”

Trump even noted that many of Mamdani’s ideas “are the same ideas that I have,” signalling an openness to partnership rather than confrontation.

Mamdani Maintains Diplomacy, Avoids Escalation

While Mamdani did not retract his previous criticisms, he made no effort to revive past hostilities. When asked if he still viewed Trump as a “despot,” he said only, “I think both President Trump and I, we are very clear about our positions and our views.”

He carefully redirected pointed questions back to affordability, the message that drove his campaign. On earlier comments about US policy in Gaza, he said simply that the meeting had centred on New Yorkers’ cost-of-living struggles.

Mamdani also highlighted the support he received from a diverse electorate, including Trump voters. “There were more New Yorkers who voted for President Trump in the most recent presidential election because of that focus on cost of living,” he said.

High Political Stakes for Both Leaders

Both Trump and Mamdani entered the meeting with pragmatic incentives. Mamdani, who had consulted senior Democrats ahead of the meeting, needs federal cooperation to pass budgets and implement his policy agenda. Trump, with longstanding personal and business ties to New York, had little to gain from feuding with the incoming mayor of the nation's most scrutinised city.

The meeting also weakened Republican attempts to cast Mamdani as a dangerous extremist. Asked whether he agreed with GOP figures calling Mamdani a “jihadist,” Trump replied, “No, I don’t.”

For both men, the encounter softened the ideological battle lines they had drawn throughout the campaign.

Key Quotes: Who Said What

Donald Trump

• “We’ve just had a great meeting, a very productive meeting. We have one thing in common — We want this city of ours that we love to do very well.”
  
  
• “I want to congratulate the mayor. He really ran an incredible race against some very tough people, very smart people.”
  
  
• “I think he is going to surprise some conservative people, actually.”
  
  
• “The better he does, the happier I am. We are going to be helping him to make everybody’s dream come true.”
  
  
• “Some of his ideas really are the same ideas that I have.”
  
  
• “We agree on a lot more than I would’ve thought.”

Zohran Mamdani

• “It was a productive meeting focused on a place of shared admiration and love, which is New York City.”
  
  
• “We spoke about groceries, utility, and different ways the people are being pushed.”
• 
  
• “I told the president that so much of the focus of the campaign has been on the cost of living.”