After White House Meeting, Trump Praises Mamdani and Pledges Backing for a ‘Safer New York’
Meeting marks a dramatic shift from campaign hostility, with both leaders pledging cooperation on safety and immigration
Washington, Nov 22: US President Donald Trump adopted a markedly calmer tone on Friday as he welcomed New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to the White House, signalling a pause in the sharp rhetoric that defined their bitterly contested mayoral campaign.
Both leaders described the conversation as constructive. Trump called it a “great meeting” and said “the better he does, the happier I am,” expressing confidence that Mamdani would “do a good job” running the country’s largest city.
White House meeting signals a shift in tone
Mamdani echoed the positive sentiment, calling the conversation “productive” and emphasising that the focus was not on their “many disagreements” but on their “shared purpose in serving New Yorkers.”
According to Trump, the discussion centred heavily on public safety and immigration enforcement. He reiterated that the administration would prioritise removing “murderers, drug dealers and some very bad people,” adding that both he and Mamdani wanted to work together to ensure peace.
Focus on safety and immigration enforcement
Hours before the meeting, Trump had already moderated his rhetoric during a Fox News interview, saying he believed he and Mamdani “will get along fine,” despite their different political philosophies. He noted that both leaders shared a goal to “make New York strong.”
The shift came on the heels of Mamdani’s fiery election-night speech, in which he declared that Trump would have to “get through all of us” to reach New Yorkers. Trump later reflected that he may have gone “a little too hard” on Mamdani during the campaign, acknowledging the difficulty of being “totally friendly toward the opponent.”
Campaign hostilities fade after months of clashes
The White House tone had been far sharper just a day earlier, when officials labelled Mamdani a “communist.” Trump echoed similar criticisms throughout the campaign, predicting economic decline if Mamdani won and endorsing his rival, former governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent.
Mamdani’s victory marks a political milestone
Despite the attacks, Mamdani defeated Cuomo by nearly nine percentage points on November 4, becoming the first Democratic socialist to be elected mayor of New York City.
