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Tuesday, Nov 18, 2025
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New York’s Mayor-Elect Mamdani Reaches Out to President Trump for White House Meeting
Zohran Mamdani signals readiness to engage with Donald Trump despite prior clashes, citing affordability agenda for New Yorkers
New York City’s mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani, announced on Monday that his team has formally reached out to the White House to arrange a meeting with President Donald Trump, marking a significant de-escalation in the previously tense relationship between the two figures.
Mamdani, speaking at a food pantry in the Bronx, described the outreach as fulfilling a campaign pledge to the city’s residents to collaborate with all levels of government in tackling the affordability crisis.
Mamdani emphasised that the proposed meeting is designed to address rising costs of housing, childcare, transportation and groceries—key themes of his campaign.
“We are seeing his actions and that of his administration in Washington leading to the opposite effect for New Yorkers, and I will make the case to the President that these are the kinds of things we need to change,” he told reporters.
President Trump responded Sunday night by acknowledging Mamdani’s interest in meeting and stating that “we’ll work something out,” indicating a willingness to engage.
He added that the White House wants “everything to work out well for New York.” A spokesperson for the White House had not provided details about any meeting date as of Monday evening.
The move is notable given the sharp rhetoric between the two during the mayoral campaign.
Trump, who had endorsed Mamdani’s opponent and at times labelled Mamdani as extremist, now appears open to dialogue.
Mamdani, for his part, described the engagement as pragmatic: “I will be proactive in the work I do,” he said, noting that the relationship between City Hall and the White House will be “critical” to his administration’s success.
Both sides conveyed the intention to shift from confrontation to constructive cooperation.
While specifics of the meeting remain to be finalised, the outreach signals a potential pivot toward issue-based collaboration on New York’s pressing cost-of-living challenges.
The mayor-elect’s inauguration is scheduled for January 1, 2026, offering a window of opportunity for early federal-city coordination.
Mamdani, speaking at a food pantry in the Bronx, described the outreach as fulfilling a campaign pledge to the city’s residents to collaborate with all levels of government in tackling the affordability crisis.
Mamdani emphasised that the proposed meeting is designed to address rising costs of housing, childcare, transportation and groceries—key themes of his campaign.
“We are seeing his actions and that of his administration in Washington leading to the opposite effect for New Yorkers, and I will make the case to the President that these are the kinds of things we need to change,” he told reporters.
President Trump responded Sunday night by acknowledging Mamdani’s interest in meeting and stating that “we’ll work something out,” indicating a willingness to engage.
He added that the White House wants “everything to work out well for New York.” A spokesperson for the White House had not provided details about any meeting date as of Monday evening.
The move is notable given the sharp rhetoric between the two during the mayoral campaign.
Trump, who had endorsed Mamdani’s opponent and at times labelled Mamdani as extremist, now appears open to dialogue.
Mamdani, for his part, described the engagement as pragmatic: “I will be proactive in the work I do,” he said, noting that the relationship between City Hall and the White House will be “critical” to his administration’s success.
Both sides conveyed the intention to shift from confrontation to constructive cooperation.
While specifics of the meeting remain to be finalised, the outreach signals a potential pivot toward issue-based collaboration on New York’s pressing cost-of-living challenges.
The mayor-elect’s inauguration is scheduled for January 1, 2026, offering a window of opportunity for early federal-city coordination.
