In a political moment that left both Washington interposers and New Yorkers stunned, Donald Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani walked into the Oval Office last Friday as fierce opponents, and walked out speaking like two leaders suddenly ready to work together.
Their unexpected shift comes during a turbulent season in US politics, marked by high-profile fallouts such as Marjorie Taylor Greene’s recent exit from Congress.
After months of trading sharp cuts across social media, crusade rallies, and press interviews, the brace surfaced from their meeting sounding unexpectedly aligned on crucial issues facing New Yorkers, especially the soaring cost of living and the need for fresh investment in the megacity.
“I met with a man who’s a very rational person… He really wants to see New York be great again.” Donald Trump
From Hostility to an Unlikely Partnership
Trump spent the entire mayoral race branding Mamdani a “communist lunatic,” throwing his support behind Andrew Cuomo in a last-ditch effort to stop him. Mamdani didn’t hold back either, calling Trump a “despot” and accusing him of pushing a “fascist agenda.”
But Mamdani’s victory—fuelled in part by 10% of Trump’s own voters- seems to have changed Trump’s tone dramatically.
Following their meeting, Trump congratulated Mamdani on an “incredible race,” describing him as a potential “great mayor.”
Mamdani echoed the unexpected warmth, calling their talk “productive” and centred on shared concerns like rent, food prices, and the pressure pushing working families out of New York City.
“We spoke about rent, groceries, utilities, and the different ways people are being pushed out.” Zohran Mamdani
Trump even said he’d be comfortable living in New York under Mamdani’s leadership: “Absolutely. We agree on a lot more than I would’ve thought.”
This kind of sudden political pivot is rare in modern US politics, especially between figures as openly combative as these two.
A Backlash on the Right and a Focus on Everyday Struggles
The alliance did not go unnoticed, and not everyone was pleased. Far-right activist Laura Loomer erupted online, accusing Trump of backing socialist policies.
Elise Stefanik continued smearing Mamdani as a “jihadist,” even though Trump dismissed the label outright.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul weighed in immediately, praising Trump for rejecting “Islamophobic attacks” and criticising Stefanik for her rhetoric.
What the Oval Office Conversation Actually Covered?
Away from the political theatre, both leaders reportedly focused on major issues affecting millions of New Yorkers, including:
- Affordable housing and new developments
- Rising rent and the NYC housing crisis
- Grocery, energy, and utility costs
- Street safety, policing, and crime
- Federal funding for New York’s infrastructure and public services
Trump, who once threatened to cut money to New York City if Mamdani won, reversed his position entirely: “I expect to be helping him, not hurting him.” According to a senior White House source, the meeting “couldn’t have gone better.”
A Softening of Hostilities and an Odd Moment With FDR
The sudden goodwill is striking, given the harsh language exchanged just weeks ago. Trump spent the campaign insisting Mamdani would ruin New York.
Meanwhile, Mamdani stood on stage during his victory speech and declared: “If there’s any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the conditions that allowed him to accumulate power.”
Trump complained about the line at the time, but during the meeting, he laughed it off, saying being called a despot “wasn’t that bad.”
Bonding Over a Portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt
One of the day’s oddest moments came when Mamdani spotted a portrait of FDR in the Oval Office, a piece Trump said he had “found in the vaults.” Mamdani asked for a photo with it, praising the New Deal.
Trump seemed amused: “He’s a big fan of the New Deal, I guess.” The moment was crazy, but it stressed an unanticipated area of participatory interest: major government-driven investment in metropolises.
Shared Goals, Clear Differences, and What Comes Next
To both revolutionaries and the MAGA right, Mamdani has become a public figure, one whose rise glasses Trump’s own struggle against the establishment. Asked whether he sees parallels between himself and the incoming NYC mayor, Trump joked
“I think I’m a much better-looking person than him, right?” Donald Trump
On policy, Mamdani stressed he’s ready to work with Trump on affordability, cost-of-living pressures, and issues impacting working-class families.
But he drew a firm line on immigration and education, promising to fight any civil moves that harm indigenous communities, cut academy budgets, or jeopardise New York’s structure plans.
Trump, at least for now, appears willing to cooperate: “I want New York City to be great. It’s where I came from.”
Whether this surprising partnership survives the next political storm remains to be seen. But for a single, extraordinary afternoon in Washington, two men who once treated each other as existential threats walked out looking, if only briefly, like allies united by the struggles hitting New Yorkers hardest.
