New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, visited the White House on Friday and later said he remains willing to work with President Donald Trump. Even as he reaffirmed past comments calling Trump a fascist and a threat to democracy, Mamdani told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that his priority is delivering for New Yorkers by finding areas of agreement with the White House.
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday in what multiple outlets described as a surprisingly cordial encounter, despite months of harsh rhetoric between the two men.
Mamdani, a democratic socialist, had previously labeled Trump a “fascist,” a “despot” and a threat to democracy. In an interview taped Saturday and aired Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press, Mamdani said he still stands by those descriptions.
During a press conference after the White House meeting, a reporter asked Mamdani whether he still believed Trump is a fascist. Before Mamdani could fully answer, Trump cut in, joking, “That’s OK. You can just say yes. It’s easier than explaining it. I don’t mind,” according to accounts in conservative and mainstream outlets. Mamdani later clarified on NBC that, after Trump made the comment, he did in fact say “yes” when asked if he considers the president a fascist.
On Meet the Press, Mamdani reiterated that his view of Trump has not changed. “That’s something that I’ve said in the past and I say it today,” he said when pressed on whether he still believes Trump is a fascist. Asked whether he still views Trump as a threat to democracy, Mamdani responded, “Everything that I’ve said in the past, I continue to believe,” adding that what matters in politics is not shying away from disagreements while recognizing “what it is that brings us to that table.”
Mamdani framed his decision to meet with Trump as a matter of responsibility to his constituents rather than a political about-face. “Everything that I’ve said in the past, I continue to believe, and that’s the thing that I think is important in our politics is that we don’t shy away from where we have disagreements, but we understand what it is that brings us to that table, because I’m not coming into the Oval Office to make a point or make a stand. I’m coming in there to deliver for New Yorkers,” he said, according to outlets including Newsmax and others that carried his remarks.
He also argued that governing New York City requires engaging even with political opponents. “I think working for the people of New York City demands that you work with everyone and anyone—and that you always look to find those areas of agreement while not overlooking the places of disagreement,” Mamdani told NBC, a line quoted in several reports.
Reporters who covered Friday’s Oval Office session said the tone between Trump and Mamdani was strikingly warm given their earlier exchanges, with both men smiling and occasionally joking as they spoke to the press. Coverage from multiple outlets indicated the two discussed issues such as affordability, housing, cost-of-living pressures and public safety in New York City, areas where they suggested there could be some common ground.
Trump, for his part, has publicly brushed off Mamdani’s criticism and encouraged him to repeat it. At the White House, after interjecting on the “fascist” question, Trump said he did not mind the label and implied he had been called worse. In later comments about the meeting, he expressed optimism about working with the incoming mayor and said he wanted Mamdani to succeed in making New York safer and more affordable.
Mamdani’s willingness to pursue pragmatic cooperation with Trump, even as he reiterates that he views the president as a fascist and a threat to democracy, has drawn wide attention and debate across the political spectrum. Some left-wing commentators have condemned what they describe as a “partnership” with a would-be dictator, while others frame the meeting as a test of whether deeply opposed political figures can still collaborate on shared policy goals such as tackling New York’s affordability crisis.
The meeting and its aftermath underscore a central tension of Mamdani’s incoming administration: how to reconcile his uncompromising rhetoric about Trump and democracy with his insistence that he must work “with everyone and anyone” if he is to deliver concrete results for New Yorkers.
