"The two had called each other "fascist" and "communist," but when President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani faced reporters in the Oval Office on Friday, they were just two iconoclastic New York politicians who were all smiles. The much-anticipated face-to-face showed how the politicians' shared love of New York City - and no doubt some political calculus - could paper over months of insults."
"But Trump swatted all that down. "The better he does, the happier I am," Trump, a native New Yorker, said of Mamdani. Trump denied a charge by Elise Stefanik, the Republican candidate for New York governor and one of his political allies, that Mamdani, a longtime critic of Israel, is a "jihadist," saying, "I just met with a man who's a very rational person" and adding that they both wanted peace in the Middle East."
Donald Trump and Zohran Mamdani met in the Oval Office and presented a cordial public interaction despite previously exchanging harsh labels. Both emphasized their shared love of New York City and used plainspoken, wry language suited to social media. Trump praised Mamdani, said he would be happy if Mamdani does well, and rejected claims he was a 'jihadist,' calling him a rational person. Both men highlighted affordability as a campaign focus. Trump commended Mamdani’s decision to keep Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch. The meeting undercut Republican efforts to use Mamdani as a 2026 warning and showcased political pragmatism.
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