Washington: US President Donald Trump met New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani at the White House on Friday, expressing confidence that Mamdani “can do a good job.”
Trump described the talks as a “great meeting,” adding: “the better he does, the happier I am. My administration will be helping him to make everybody's dream come true, having a strong and very safe New York”
Mamdani thanked Trump for what he called a “productive meeting,” noting that discussions focused “not on places of disagreement, which there are many, but focused on the shared purpose that we have in serving New Yorkers.”
Trump said he believed Mamdani would “surprise some conservative people,” adding: “I expect to be helping him, not hurting him — a big help…I think this mayor can do some things that are going to be really great.”
On immigration enforcement, Trump said the two discussed targeting “murderers, drug dealers and some very bad people,” stressing that both wanted a safer city. “He wants to have a safe New York…So we're going to work together. I think he wants to get them out, maybe more than I do,” Trump remarked.
Hours before the meeting, Trump softened his tone in a Fox News interview, saying he and Mamdani “will get along fine” despite “different philosophy,” as both sought to “make New York strong.”
Trump also responded to Mamdani’s victory speech, in which the mayor-elect told him to “turn the volume up” on television. “It was…hard to be totally friendly toward the opponent…he had some interesting opponents, but he ran a good race. I don't know exactly what he means by turn the volume up…He has to be careful what he says that to me…he was very nice in calling…and we're gonna have a meeting…I think it's going to be quite civil,” Trump said, acknowledging he had targeted Mamdani “a little too hard” during the campaign.
The White House had earlier labelled Mamdani a “communist” ahead of the meeting. During the election, Trump repeatedly attacked Mamdani, warning of economic decline under his leadership and endorsing rival Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent.
Mamdani defeated Cuomo by nearly nine percentage points on 4 November, becoming the first Democratic socialist elected mayor of the nation’s largest city.
(Inputs from IANS)