New York’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on Sunday made it clear he has not walked back his long-held view that US President Donald Trump is a “fascist”, even after the two struck an unexpectedly cordial tone during their first meeting at the White House.
“That’s something that I’ve said in the past, I say it today,” Mamdani told NBC Newsreaffirming his stance when asked if he still believed the president fit that description.
The incoming leftist leader and self-described Democratic Socialist met Trump on Friday, putting aside months of barbed exchanges and vowing to work together on the city’s future.
Trump-Mamdani viral moment
During their joint appearance at the White House, Trump even came to Mamdani’s rescue when a reporter pressed the mayor-elect on whether he still viewed the president as a fascist.
“That’s OK. You can just say it. That’s easier,” Trump interjected. “It’s easier than explaining it. I don’t mind.” The moment quickly went viral online, with many noting the unexpected camaraderie between the two.
The exchange marked a sharp shift from their earlier clashes, which saw Trump label Mamdani a “100% Communist Lunatic” and a “total nut job”, while Mamdani warned he would be Trump’s “worst nightmare” and accused the administration of being “authoritarian.”
Oval Office meet was ‘productive’: Mamdani
Speaking to NBC, the mayor-elect said he appreciated that the conversation with Trump was frank and not shy about disagreements. “I appreciated about the conversation that I had with the president was that we were not shy about the places of disagreement, about the politics that has brought us to this moment,” he said.
He added that the Oval Office meeting repeatedly circled back to his core campaign themes — “the cost of housing, cost of child care, the cost of groceries, the cost of utilities.”
Despite previously threatening to cut federal funding to New York City and deploying the National Guard, Trump on Friday praised Mamdani’s historic win and said he believed the mayor-elect could do a “great job.”
“We’re going to be helping him to make everybody’s dream come true: having a strong and very safe New York,” the president said.
