New Delhi: US President Donald Trump and New York’s mayor elect Zohran Mamdani are all set to meet at the White House on 21 November. The encounter comes after an election season in which Trump repeatedly called the Democratic Socialist a “communist mayor”. On his end, Mamdani vowed to challenge the president on issues ranging from immigration to affordability.
After his win on 4 November, 34-year-old Mamdani took a jab at the US President during his victory speech. “Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up,” he said at his Brooklyn victory party.
The Republican president has made no show to hide his displeasure at Mamdani’s popularity and political ideology.
“I thought it was a very angry speech, certainly angry toward me, and I think he should be very nice to me,” Trump told Fox News. “You know, I’m the one who sort of has to approve a lot of things coming to him. So he’s off to a bad start,” he added.
Now the duo are set to have a meeting at the Oval Office, to discuss the future of New York under Mamdani’s mayoral rule.
Also read: Zohran Mamdani’s New York win revives a forgotten history — of Gujarati Muslim cosmopolitanism
Communist jab
Trump has not held himself back, and neither has members of his administration from leveraging sharp attacks at Mamdani.
“If Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the Election for Mayor of New York City, it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home,” the president said in a post on Truth Social.
On 2 November, Trump appeared on the US television series 60 Minutes, and declared that he’d rather have a “bad Democrat” than a “communist” as the next mayor of New York. It was backhanded support for Andrew Cuomo. The former governor lost the Democrat primary and ran as an Independent.
In the same show, he also spoke of Mamdani’s looks. “Well, I think I’m a much better-looking person than him. Right?” he asked journalist Norah O’Donnell.
On the day of the election, Trump made a last-ditch effort to sway the poll.
“Any Jewish person that votes for Zohran Mamdani, a proven and self-professed JEW HATER, is a stupid person!” wrote Trump on Truth Social.
Trump’s son Eric too launched a diatribe at the mayor.
“He hates the Jewish people, hates the Indian population,” said Eric to Fox News.
Trump’s allies too rushed to share their views. Representative Elise Stefanik called Mamdani a ‘jihadist’ while Right-wing activist Laura Loomer claimed that the mayor-elect will implement Islamic law in New York.
After Mamdani’s fiery victory speech, Trump even warned him—“He has to be a little bit respectful of Washington, because if he’s not, he doesn’t have a chance of succeeding.”
But after days of Mamdani’s historic win—he is the city’s youngest mayor since 1892, and the first Muslim one—Trump softened his stance to some extent.
“He would like to come to Washington and meet, and we’ll work something out,” the US president said to reporters on Sunday. He also added that his administration wants to see everything work out well for New York.
Also read: Zohran Mamdani is an authentic representation of modern India
Mamdani’s stance
While Trump used every possible means to comment about the mayoral election, Mamdani just challenged the President to a ‘direct debate’ if the latter was keen on influencing the elections.
Mamdani refused to address any of Trump’s comments until a day before the election. At a campaign event in Astoria, Queens, Mamdani said that he had known for months that Trump would support Cuomo.
“The MAGA movement’s embrace of Andrew Cuomo is reflective of Donald Trump’s understanding that this would be the best mayor for him—not the best mayor for New York City, not the best mayor for New Yorkers, but the best mayor for Donald Trump and his administration,” said Mamdani.
On the day of his historic win, he decided not to hold back, especially about Trump’s immigration policies and the surge in ICE raids.
“New York will remain a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants. And as of tonight, led by an immigrant. So hear me, President Trump, when I say this. To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us,” said the mayor-elect, set to assume office on 1 January 2026.
“If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him,” Mamdani told the cheering crowd
But after the latest meeting was set up, Mamdani spoke of his willingness to rise above the disagreements he has with Trump, and work for his city. Mamdani has proposed ambitious plans of creating New York City’s first universal childcare program, making city buses free and freezing the rent for 1 million rent-stabilised tenants in the city.
He has also proposed a tax on the city’s wealthiest residents and an increase in the city’s corporate tax rate to pay for his policy ideas, along with city-run grocery stores.
“I intend to make it clear to President Trump that I will work with him on any agenda that benefits New Yorkers. If an agenda hurts New Yorkers, I will also be the first to say so,” he said.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)