New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on Friday arrived at the White House to meet with President Donald Trump for a discussion on affordability that could carry high stakes for both men.
The Oval Office meeting was requested by Mamdani, the 34-year-old democratic socialist whose stunning triumph in the mayoral race over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has put him at the center of American politics.
“I will work with anyone to make life more affordable for the more than eight-and-a-half million people who call the city home,” Mamdani said Thursday.
Trump has repeatedly accused Mamdani of being a communist — a label rejected by the mayor-elect. Before the mayoral election, Trump had threatened to withhold federal funding for New York City if Mamdani won.
That threat has not yet been taken off the table. Asked on Thursday if there was any chance Mamdani could convince Trump not to cut NYC off, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “We’ll see how the meeting goes tomorrow.”
Trump may also need the meeting to go well. The president’s approval ratings have fallen precipitously in numerous polls, with respondents consistently pointing to the high cost of living as a main concern.
Mamdani and other Democrats who won a bevy of elections this month had focused relentlessly on the issue of affordability — a word that Trump has chafed at, while insisting that prices are broadly down already.
Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube.