Takeaways from Trump and Mamdani’s Surprisingly Friendly Meeting

US President Donald Trump met with newly elected New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at the White House in what was billed as the political showdown of the year but instead turned into a praise fest.

In his election victory speech, the self-described Democratic socialist mayor called Trump a “despot.”

And before Friday’s meeting, the president’s spokeswoman had called Mamdani’s visit a “communist coming to the White House.”

But, side by side in the Oval Office, the two men struck a surprisingly conciliatory tone.

Time and time again, both men emphasized their shared interest in addressing New York City’s affordability crisis. They smiled often and Trump even seemed amused when reporters asked him about the political attacks Mamdani had launched at him.

The tone of the meeting appeared to take political observers by surprise, but it offered a sign that both understand that addressing the affordability crisis is critical to their political success.

It remains to be seen whether the truce will last once Mamdani takes office on January 1.

Until then, “I’ll be cheering him on,” Trump said.

The conciliatory tone was evident from the moment they began speaking to the press.

Facing the media after a private meeting, Mamdani stood to Trump’s right with his hand clasped, as the president sat behind the Resolute Desk. Their body language was relaxed, especially Trump’s.

Trump not only refrained from attacking Mamdani, but even praised him on numerous occasions.

Trump expressed hope that Mamdani would be a “really great mayor.”

The president later added that he was “confident of being able to do a very good job.”

Mamdani and Trump traded political barbs during the mayoral election. A reporter in the room reminded the two men that Trump had called Mamdani a “communist” and Mamdani referred to the president as a “despot.”

But today, both men deflected multiple questions about their previous statements and returned to their praise.

Trump even let Mamdani answer a question about whether the mayor-elect thought the president was a “fascist.”

“Okay, you can say yes,” Trump interjected, then gave Mamdani a light punch on the arm. “It’s easier than explaining.”

The closest Trump came to criticizing Mamdani’s politics was telling reporters, “He has opinions that are scarce.”

Mamdani and Trump have something in common: they are both New Yorkers and both have called the borough of Queens their home.

Trump’s childhood home is in the Jamaica Estates neighborhood, while Mamdani currently resides in Astoria.

The two had a “shared love” for the city, Mamdani said.

Although Trump rarely spends time in the Manhattan skyscraper that bears his name these days, he spoke fondly of his hometown throughout the press conference.

“This city could be amazing, if it could be spectacularly successful, I’ll be very happy,” Trump said.

At one point, Trump even suggested that in another political life he would have liked to be mayor of New York.

Perhaps part of the reason the two men seemed close Friday was their shared focus on cost-of-living issues.

Trump won his reelection last year by relentlessly hammering the issue of high inflation that had frustrated voters in 2024. As consumers fret about the cost of food, housing and other essentials, Trump has sought to convey a message of economic stability.

But in the elections earlier this month, Republicans struggled and Democrats won key races. All eyes are on next year’s midterm elections, where control of the US Congress will be at stake.

During his election campaign, Mamdani focused on the lack of affordable housing and proposed freezing rent increases on certain rent-stabilized apartments, among other housing proposals.

Mamdani said he and the president had discussed how to “deliver affordability to New Yorkers.”

Every time he was asked about his different points of view, the mayor-elect returned to the conversation on this topic.

Asked about their different views on achieving peace in the Middle East, Mamdani responded that Trump voters had expressed a desire to him for “an end to the forever wars” and for leaders to address “the cost of living crisis.”

However, there are important political issues that could quickly send the two men back into opposition.

A reporter asked about the possibility of federal immigration enforcement in the city, which has outraged Democrats and some immigrant communities in New York.

Mamdani said he spoke about federal immigration enforcement operations in New York and residents’ concerns about how they are being carried out.

Trump said they talked more about crime than immigration.

“He doesn’t want to see crime and I don’t want to see crime,” the president said. He had “very little doubt” that the two would get along on that issue.

But as the Trump administration continues to set aggressive deportation targets, the two men may end up facing each other once again.

Republicans had also hinted that they wanted to use Mamdani as a political foil in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections, where control of the US Congress will be on the ballot. Trump’s apparent acceptance today may complicate that strategy.