New York Metropolis Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani says in a brand new interview with NBC’S “Meet the Press” that he nonetheless believes President Donald Trump is a “fascist” and a “despot,” however he considered their first face-to-face assembly on the White Home on Friday as an “alternative” to work collectively on decreasing the price of dwelling for New Yorkers.
After months of buying and selling insults in the course of the marketing campaign, the 2 have been pleasant in the course of the assembly, with the president telling reporters he’ll be “cheering” for Mamdani, and the mayor-elect calling the assembly “productive.”
Following their assembly, Mamdani was requested by reporters if he stood by his resolution to name Trump a “fascist” throughout his marketing campaign.
“That’s OK, you’ll be able to simply say it,” Trump instructed him, jokingly. “It’s simpler, it’s simpler than explaining it.”
Within the interview, which was recorded Saturday and aired Sunday, Mamdani instructed “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker that he does nonetheless consider the president is a fascist.
“After President Trump mentioned that, I mentioned, ‘Sure,’” Mamdani mentioned.
He added, “That’s one thing I’ve mentioned up to now and I say at this time. And I believe what I appreciated concerning the dialog that I had with the president was that we weren’t shy concerning the locations of disagreement, concerning the politics that has introduced us to this second, and we additionally wished to give attention to what it might appear to be to ship on a shared evaluation of an affordability disaster for New Yorkers.”
Mamdani referenced different previous damaging feedback about Trump, telling Welker, “All the things that I’ve mentioned up to now, I proceed to consider.”
“I’m not coming into the Oval Workplace to make a degree or make a stand. I’m coming in there to ship for New Yorkers,” he added.
The mayor-elect additionally spoke about his angle going into the assembly and why it ended up so pleasant.
“I believed repeatedly about what it might imply for New Yorkers if we might set up a productive relationship that may give attention to the problems that these New Yorkers keep up late at night time serious about,” reasonably than hold buying and selling barbs, Mamdani instructed Welker.
“If you truly ask New Yorkers and also you take heed to them, you hear it come again to the problems that animated not simply the dialog the president and I had with the press after our assembly, however frankly, within the assembly itself,” Mamdani added.
New York Metropolis Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani showing on Sunday’s “Meet the Press” with Kristen Welker (NBC)
The mayor-elected pointed to Trump’s personal marketing campaign message final yr, which included guarantees to decrease prices for People on Day 1 of his second time period.
On Saturday, Mamdani mentioned he went out of his manner in the course of the mayoral marketing campaign to talk to New Yorkers dwelling within the Bronx and Queens who had voted for Trump in 2024.
“I shared with the president that after I requested these New Yorkers why did they vote for the president, they instructed me repeatedly, it was price of dwelling, price of dwelling, price of dwelling,” the mayor-elect mentioned. “And when the president and I have been talking, we have been talking about what’s stopping from delivering on that affordability agenda.”
Within the weeks main as much as Election Day, Trump regularly bashed Mamdani on-line, calling him a “communist lunatic” and threatening to chop off federal funding for New York Metropolis if voters elected Mamdani, who refers to himself as a democratic socialist. Mamdani usually shot again, as soon as calling Trump a “despot.”
On Friday, after reporters requested the pair about that exact insult, the president mentioned, “I’ve been referred to as a lot worse than a despot,” including, “I believe he’ll change his thoughts after we get to working collectively.”
On the eve of the election, Trump even endorsed Mamdani’s strongest opponent, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat-turned-independent who ran within the basic election after shedding to Mamdani within the Democratic major.
In his victory speech, Mamdani spoke forcefully towards the Trump administration, promising that “New York would be the mild” in political darkness and telling Trump to “flip the quantity up.”
Mamdani mentioned Saturday that he and the president additionally spoke about Trump’s threats to ship Nationwide Guard troops into New York Metropolis, as he’s performed in a number of different main Democratic-led cities in latest months.
Mamdani didn’t reply questions on whether or not Trump dominated out the potential for sending troops to New York Metropolis, however mentioned, “What I instructed him is that what separates New York Metropolis from anyplace else within the nation is we now have the NYPD, and I belief the NYPD to ship public security, and to me, that’s one thing that I do know that they will do, that they’ve performed, and they’ll proceed to do below my management.”
Requested on the White Home on Saturday whether or not he deliberate to ship troops to New York Metropolis, Trump mentioned merely, “In the event that they want it.”
“Proper now, different locations want it extra, but when they want — we had an excellent assembly yesterday. We talked about that, but when they want it, I might do it,” Trump instructed reporters.
Considered one of Mamdani’s key marketing campaign guarantees was to boost taxes on town’s highest earners to fund key coverage goals. To take action, he’ll want the blessing of Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and state legislators in Albany.
The mayor-elect didn’t reply questions on whether or not Hochul has dedicated to serving to him increase taxes, however mentioned the 2 are each dedicated to creating New York Metropolis extra inexpensive.
“I believe she’ll work with me to ship on affordability. I believe elevating taxes take advantage of sense,” Mamdani mentioned. “If there’s any alternate options that increase the identical amount of cash, I’m open.”
On Saturday, Mamdani additionally spoke about his relationship with the nation’s Democratic leaders.
Within the months main as much as the election, many have been hesitant to endorse the self-described democratic socialist. Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., by no means endorsed Mamdani, and Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., solely did so lower than two weeks earlier than Election Day.
Nonetheless, Mamdani final week urged members of New York’s Democratic Socialists of America chapter to not endorse a major challenger to Jeffries.
And on Saturday, Mamdani instructed “Meet the Press” that he helps Jeffries turning into the speaker of the Home if Democrats retake the bulk within the 2026 midterm elections.
Mamdani additionally spoke about his dialog with former President Barack Obama after his victory, saying the 2 spoke about “the significance of what it appears to be like like, not solely to encourage hope, however to maintain it, after which to ship on it.”
Alexandra Marquez is a politics reporter for NBC Information.
