Trump expects ‘quite civil’ meeting with Mamdani
US President Donald Trump called New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani “100 percent communist lunatic” and “completely nuts”, while Mamdani called the Trump administration “authoritarian” and described himself as “Donald Trump’s worst nightmare”.
So their first meeting, scheduled for 3pm AEDT on Friday (7am AEDT on Saturday) at the White House, could be an interesting and provocative affair.
Despite portraying each other as arch-enemies for months, the Republican president and the Democratic new star have said they are open to finding areas of agreement that would help the city they both call home.
Trump said in an interview with Fox News Radio on Friday morning that he expected the meeting to be “pretty civil.”
Mamdani, a democratic socialist who takes office in January, said she wanted to meet with Trump to talk about ways to make New York City more affordable.
Trump said he might want to help him.
But for both men, the meeting offers opportunities beyond areas where both parties could potentially reach agreement.
The two men are suitable political foils for each other, and taking on the other could mobilize their supporters.
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