City Hall vs. White House
"Yes, He's a Fascist": NYC Mayor-Elect Mamdani Reaffirms Stance Right After Cordial Trump Meeting | WATCH
NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani insisted he can work with President Trump despite standing by his "fascist" label, stating he is focused on securing federal funds to "deliver for New Yorkers."
New York City’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is standing firm on his assessment that President Donald Trump’s approach to power is "fascist," even as he strives to establish a practical working relationship with the administration following their cordial White House meeting.
Mamdani, who is set to be the city’s first Muslim mayor, spoke about the unusual political balancing act during an interview on Meet the Press Sunday. He insisted that political disagreements should not prevent cooperation on critical issues facing New Yorkers.
"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," Mamdani stated. "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."
The White House Exchange
Mamdani and Trump shared a reportedly productive, roughly 25-minute closed-door talk on Friday and appeared friendly when greeting the press afterward. The cordial atmosphere was tested when a reporter brought up Mamdani's past use of the "fascist" label.
Trump casually dismissed the remark, suggesting the mayor-elect was "free to repeat the insult." When host Kristen Welker directly asked Mamdani if he still stood by the comment, the mayor-elect replied in the affirmative, pointing to the President’s response as confirmation: "After President Trump said that, I said yes."
Trading Barbs to Building Bridges
The surprising civility contrasts sharply with the political war waged during the final stretch of the mayoral campaign. Trump had repeatedly attacked the self-described democratic socialist on social media, labeling him a "communist lunatic" and threatening to withhold essential federal funding from New York if Mamdani was elected. Mamdani, in turn, had previously branded Trump a "despot."
Despite this history, Mamdani stressed that he genuinely valued the conversation because it focused on tangible issues affecting struggling New Yorkers.
"I thought again and again about what it would mean for New Yorkers if we could establish a productive relationship that would focus on the issues that those New Yorkers stay up late at night thinking about, rather than keep trading barbs," he recalled.
Mamdani suggested that when politicians set aside feuds and listen to constituents, the focus naturally shifts to common ground: "When you actually ask New Yorkers and you listen to them, you hear it come back to the issues that animated not just the conversation the president and I had with the press after our meeting, but frankly, in the meeting itself."
The mayor-elect’s socialist agenda and his anti-Israel positions prompted several high-profile Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and NY State Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs, to distance themselves from his campaign. However, Mamdani’s willingness to confront the President directly while simultaneously seeking constructive dialogue presents a unique political dynamic for the incoming City Hall administration.