Takeaways from Trump and Mamdani’s surprisingly cordial meeting

US President Donald Trump met New York City’s newly elected mayor Zohran Mamdani at the White House in what was billed as the political showdown of the year – but instead became a praise fest.

In his election victory speech, the self-described Democratic socialist mayor called Trump a “despot.”

And before Friday’s meeting, the president’s spokeswoman had billed Mamdani’s visit as a “communist coming to the White House”.

But standing side-by-side in the Oval Office, the two men struck a surprisingly conciliatory tone.

Over and over, both men emphasised their shared interest in addressing New York City’s affordability crisis. They smiled often, and Trump even appeared amused as reporters asked him about the political attacks Mamdani had fired his way.

The tone of the meeting appeared to strike political observers off guard, but offered a signal that both men understand that tackling the affordability crisis is critical to their political success.

Whether the truce will last once Mamdani takes office on 1 January remains to be seen.

Until then, “I’ll be cheering for him,” Trump said.

The conciliatory tone was evident from the moment they started speaking to the press.

Facing the media after a private meeting, Mamdani stood to Trump’s right with his hand clasped, as the president sat behind the Resolute Desk. Their body language was relaxed – particularly Trump.

Not only did Trump refrain from attacking Mamdani, he actually praised him numerous times.

Trump expressed hope that Mamdani would be a “really great mayor”.

Later, the president added he was “confident that he can do a very good job”.

Mamdani and Trump traded political barbs throughout the mayoral election. A reporter in the room reminded the two men that Trump had called Mamdani a “communist” and Mamdani referred to the president as a “despot”.

But today, both deflected multiple questions about their previous statements and pivoted back to praise.

Trump even let Mamdani answer a question about whether the mayor-elect thought the president was a “fascist”.

“That’s ok, you can just say yes,” Trump interjected, giving Mamdani a light tap on the arm and smiling. “It’s easier than explaining.”

The closest Trump got to criticising Mamdani’s politics was telling reporters, “He’s got views that are little out there”.

Perhaps most strikingly, Trump swatted away an attack that one of his top political allies running for governor of New York had lodged against Mamdani.

“Do you think you’re standing next to a ‘jihadist’ right now in the oval office?” a reporter asked, quoting Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik.

“No I don’t,” Trump quickly said.

“You say things sometimes in a campaign,” Trump said of Stefanik. “She’s a very capable person.”

Mamdani and Trump have something in common: they’re both New Yorkers, and both have called the borough of Queens home.

Trump’s childhood home is in the neighbourhood of Jamaica Estates, while Mamdani currently resides in Astoria.

The two had a “shared love” of the city, Mamdani said.

Though Trump rarely spends time in his namesake Manhattan skyscraper these days, he spoke fondly of his hometown throughout the news conference.

“This city could be unbelievable, if he could be a spectacular success, I’ll be very happy,” Trump said.

At one point, Trump even suggested that in a different political lifetime, he would have liked to be mayor of New York himself.

Perhaps part of the reason the two men appeared in lock step on Friday was their shared focus on cost-of-living issues.

Trump won his re-election last year by relentlessly hammering the issue of high inflation that had frustrated voters in 2024. As consumers grow restless about the cost of groceries, housing, and other essentials, Trump has tried to convey a message of economic stability.

But in elections earlier this month, Republicans struggled and Democrats won key races. All eyes are peering forward to the midterm elections next year, where control of the US Congress will be up for grabs.

During his election campaign, Mamdani maintained a laser-focus on the lack of affordable housing and proposed freezing rent increases on certain rent-stabilised apartments, among other housing proposals.

Mamdani said he and the president had discussed how to “deliver affordability to New Yorkers”.

Whenever he was asked a question about their differing views, the mayor-elect brought the conversation back to this topic.

Facing one question about their different views on achieving peace in the Middle East, Mamdani responded that Trump voters had expressed to him a wish for “an end to forever wars” and for leaders to address “the cost of living crisis”.

There are still major political issues that could quickly put the two men back in opposition.

A reporter asked about the potential for federal immigration enforcement in the city, which has outraged Democrats and some immigrant communities in New York.

Mamdani said he discussed federal immigration enforcement operations in New York, and the concerns from residents about how they are being conducted.

Trump said they discussed crime more than immigration.

“He doesn’t want to see crime and I don’t want to see crime,” the president said. He had “very little doubt” the two would get along on that issue.

Trump even stunningly said he would feel safe living in a Mamdani-led New York.

But as the Trump administration continues to set aggressive deportation goals, it’s possible that the two men could wind up in opposition to each other once again.

Also, another potential problem lingers beyond the pair and their specific policies.

Republicans have hinted that they want to use Mamdani as a political foil in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections, where control of the US Congress will be on the ballot.

But in the Oval Office while praising Mamdani, the president said he believed the new mayor would “surprise some conservative people”.

This could complicate Trump’s own political party’s strategy.