Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said he hoped to press President Trump to help ease the affordability crisis. His remarks came a day after Mr. Trump said he wanted to “see everything work out well for New York.”
Nov. 17, 2025
Zohran Mamdani, the mayor-elect of New York City, said on Monday that his team had reached out to White House officials to set up a meeting with President Trump, one day after Mr. Trump mentioned the possibility to reporters.
The effort to arrange a meeting represents a change in tone for both men. Mr. Mamdani ran for office arguing that only he had the necessary backbone and ethical compass to stand up to Mr. Trump, whom he described as a threat to democracy.
Mr. Trump, in turn, has belittled Mr. Mamdani for months, calling him a “100 percent communist lunatic” — Mr. Mamdani is in fact a democratic socialist — and predicting that he would cause great harm to the city if elected. In the waning days of the mayoral race, the president endorsed Mr. Mamdani’s main rival, former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.
Mr. Mamdani and Mr. Trump have not yet spoken, according to his campaign, but Mr. Mamdani said the outreach was part of his commitment to “address the affordability crisis” that is forcing New Yorkers to leave the city.
Mr. Mamdani’s team reached out to White House officials in the last week, according to a spokeswoman. His remarks came the day after the president told reporters that Mr. Mamdani had sought him out, and seemed to soften his tone toward the mayor-elect.
“The mayor of New York, I will say, would like to meet with us and we’ll work something out,” Mr. Trump said on Sunday. “We want to see everything work out well for New York.”
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Jeffery C. Mays is a Times reporter covering politics with a focus on New York City Hall.
Dana Rubinstein covers New York City politics and government for The Times.
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