By T N Ashok
NEW YORK: The afternoon light slanted across the South Portico when Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York City stepped out of a black SUV and strode toward the West Wing entrance of the White House in Washington on November 21 npoon— a sight that would have been unthinkable just a year ago, when he and President Donald J. Trump traded barbs across cable news and social media, each dismissing the other as unfit for office.
Yet on Friday , the two men met for nearly 70 minutes behind closed doors, emerging with a handshake, a volley of unexpected praise and what aides described as “constructive, at times warm” conversation about the city both still consider the crucible of their political identities.
It was their first meeting since Mamdani’s stunning election as mayor of New York — a victory Trump initially derided as “a disaster for the city,” before shifting, after several months, to a tone more curious than confrontational. For Mamdani, the White House invitation marked a complicated milestone: a chance to reframe New York’s relationship with Washington under a president who has often treated the city as both adversary and stage.
The meeting’s warmth was all the more striking given their recent history. During the mayoral campaign, Mamdani — then a state assemblyman known for his progressive agenda — frequently singled out Trump as “the politics New York must outgrow.” Trump responded in kind, calling Mamdani “a radical with no clue how the real world works,” while simultaneously oscillating between endorsements of former Mayor Eric Adams and Andrew Cuomo, the Democrat-turned-independent who mounted a late, bruising challenge.
“That guy doesn’t know the first thing about keeping New York safe,” Trump said of Mamdani at a rally in Staten Island last spring. Mamdani, for his part, was no gentler. “Donald Trump has spent years using New York as a punching bag whenever it suits him,” he told supporters in Jackson Heights. “We deserve leadership that doesn’t treat us as leverage.” But politics — particularly New York politics — has a short memory when interests align.
According to two senior officials briefed on the meeting, conversations moved quickly from pleasantries into substantive territory: federal housing funds, migrant support, subway security grants and the city’s shrinking commercial tax base. Trump “surprised everyone” with his tone, as one aide put it, describing New York as “the greatest city in the world, even if they don’t vote for me.”
Mamdani later recounted the moment with a faint smile. “He said, ‘Zohran, I want New York to win. I really do,’” the mayor told reporters. “And I replied, ‘Mr. President, that’s something we can agree on.’” At several points, according to both camps, Trump praised Mamdani’s “energy” and “commitment to the city,” telling him, “You’re a smart guy. You fight hard. I respect that.”
The mayor, who built his campaign on tenant protections, police accountability and a housing-first approach to homelessness, seemed visibly amused when asked about the compliment. “It was… unexpected,” he said. But the line that raised eyebrows across Washington came near the meeting’s end, when Trump gestured toward the window facing the South Lawn.
“You know,” he said, according to an aide in the room, “I could live under a Mamdani-run New York. You’re different from what I thought.” To which Mamdani responded, “And I could work with a president willing to meet the city halfway.” Both men later confirmed the exchange, though with slightly different inflections — the kind inevitable in politics.
What prompted Trump’s shift in tone remains a point of speculation. Some advisers suggest that the president, facing low urban-approval numbers and a bruising congressional fight over federal policing grants, sees in Mamdani an opportunity to recalibrate his image with metropolitan voters. Others note that despite their ideological gulf, Trump has long admired public figures who stand firm under pressure — and Mamdani’s grassroots, borough-spanning win fits that mold.
“Trump likes fighters,” said a former senior adviser. “And Mamdani fought everyone: the machine, the donors, the newspapers. Trump relates to that.” For his part, Mamdani appears to grasp the precarious balance of negotiating with a president whose attention is sharp but mercurial.
“Look, my job is to deliver for New Yorkers,” the mayor said outside the West Wing. “If cooperation with the White House helps keep homes affordable or our subways running safely, then I’ll take that meeting every time.” Asked whether he trusts Trump, Mamdani paused. “I trust the needs of my constituents,” he said. “And right now those needs require federal partnership.”
Their shared history is littered with jabs that now feel oddly distant. “New York deserves a mayor, not an activist-in-chief,” Trump tweeted last winter. “Migrants, climate, housing — this is the real world,” Mamdani shot back. “The president should join us in it.”
But on Wednesday, the tone was almost cordial. The two men spoke about Queens — Trump reminiscing about his childhood in Jamaica Estates, Mamdani about the immigrant families he represents in Astoria. They traded stories about the city’s changing skyline, the loss of small businesses and the resilience of subway commuters who “just get on with it,” as Trump put it.
At one point, Mamdani joked about their earlier social-media duels. “You gave me a lot of material during the campaign,” he told Trump. “And you gave me a lot of headaches,” Trump replied, grinning.
Analysts are split on whether the meeting signals a lasting shift. “This was classic Trump,” said Marsha Hastings, a political historian at Columbia University. “He likes to own the moment. If praising Mamdani today helps him frame himself as pragmatic, he’ll do it.”
Yet others argue that Mamdani’s disciplined, data-driven approach to governance may appeal to a White House eager to claim credit for improvements in major cities. “Don’t underestimate the power of necessity,” said Rafael Martínez, a former deputy mayor under Bill de Blasio. “Washington needs functional cities. New York needs federal dollars. Everything else is commentary.”
Still, for all the warmth, both sides acknowledged that tensions persist. Trump reiterated concerns about “crime in liberal cities,” while Mamdani maintained that federal immigration policy has worsened the city’s strain. They disagree profoundly on policing, climate policy and the scope of federal power.
But on Friday each seemed to recognize that governance, unlike campaigning, leaves little room for personal grudges. As they parted, Trump clasped Mamdani’s shoulder and said, “We’re going to fix New York. Watch.” Mamdani nodded. “Hold me to it,” he said.
And with that, the mayor of New York walked down the White House steps, leaving behind the history of their feud — or at least setting it aside, for now, in the service of a city that has always demanded unlikely alliances. (IPA Service)
