Trump to Meet Mamdani, Plans to ‘Work Something Out’
WEST PALM BEACH, Florida: President Donald Trump said he plans to meet with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on Sunday and say they will “figure something out,” in what could be a détente for the Republican president and Democratic political star who see each other as political obstacles.
Trump criticized Mamdani for months, falsely labeling him a “communist” and predicting the destruction of his hometown of New York if the democratic socialist was elected. He also threatened to deport Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and is an American citizen, and to withdraw federal money from the city.
Mamdani went from an unknown state lawmaker to a social media star and symbol of resistance to Trump during the mayoral campaign. He campaigned on a set of progressive policies and a message of sharp opposition to the aggressive, anti-immigrant agenda put forward by Trump in his second White House term.
The 34-year-old appealed to a broad swath of New Yorkers and defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, one of New York’s political heavyweights, by nearly 9 percentage points.
In his victory speech on election night, Mamdani said he wanted New York to show the country how to defeat the president. But the next day, as he talked about his plans to “protect” New York from Trump when he takes office in January, the new mayor said he was willing to work with anyone, including the president, if it could help New Yorkers.
Mamdani’s representatives had no immediate comment on the president’s remarks Sunday night, but a spokesman noted comments the mayor-elect made last week when he said he planned to reach out to the White House because “this is a relationship that will be critical to the success of the city.”
Trump expressed a similar sentiment on Sunday.
“I will say that the mayor of New York wants to meet with us. We will figure something out,” Trump told reporters as he prepared to return to Washington after spending the weekend in Florida.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt soon clarified that Trump was referring to Mamdani and said no date had been set for such a meeting.
“We want to see everything go well for New York,” Trump said.
Trump’s comments came after the United States said it could soon hold talks with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro following a military buildup near the South American country: “I’ll talk to everyone,” Trump said.
