New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani reacts during a “New York is Not For Sale” rally at Forest Hills Stadium, in the Queens borough of New York City, U.S., October 26, 2025.
Eduardo Munoz | Reuters
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday night that he will meet with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani at the White House on Friday.
The meeting comes at the request of Mamdani, a democratic socialist who stunned the U.S. political world in June by beating former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary, and then cruising to victory over Cuomo again in the general election this month.
Trump at the last minute endorsed Cuomo in the general election and threatened to withhold federal funds from New York if the 34-year-old Mamdani won.
“Communist Mayor of New York City, Zohran ‘Kwame’ Mamdani, has asked for a meeting,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Wednesday in which he again falsely claimed that Mamdani is a communist.
“We have agreed that this meeting will take place at the Oval Office on Friday, November 21st. Further details to follow!” the Republican president wrote.
Mamdani’s spokesperson, Dora Pekec, in a statement, said, “As is customary for an incoming mayoral administration, the Mayor-elect plans to meet with the President in Washington to discuss public safety, economic security and the affordability agenda that over one million New Yorkers voted for just two weeks ago.”
Mamdani, during an interview on MS Now’s “All in with Chris Hayes,” said that when he meets with Trump, “I want to just speak plainly to the president about what it means to actually stand up for New Yorkers, and the way in which New Yorkers are struggling to afford the city.”
“Cost of living is something that I heard time and time again from New Yorkers about why they voted for Donald Trump,” Mamdani said.
“And this is something that is only continued in the last few months of this year, where we’re hearing about child care concerns, rent concerns, Con Ed concerns, even just getting on the bus.”
