Camilla Jessen
NYC’s incoming mayor heads to Washington for talks.
The president and New York City’s newly elected mayor are preparing for a face-to-face meeting in Washington.
The encounter follows weeks of bitter exchanges and comes just after a hard-fought election in the nation’s largest city.
Both sides insist the discussion will focus on public concerns.
An Oval Office meeting
According to The New York Times, President Donald Trump announced that he will host New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani at the White House on Friday.
In a message to supporters, Trump described Mamdani — a progressive Democrat who opposed him throughout the campaign — as “The Communist Mayor of New York” and said the mayor-elect had requested the meeting.
“We have decided that this meeting will take place in the Oval Office on Friday, November 21st,” Trump wrote, framing the encounter as part of what he calls a national choice “between communism and common sense.”
Mamdani, who won more than one million votes — the first New York mayoral candidate to pass that threshold since 1969 — has made affordability and child care central to his platform.
Mamdani’s response
The mayor-elect has said since early November that he is ready to discuss the “cost of living,” which remains a major issue for voters.
His spokeswoman, Dora Perek, confirmed to The New York Times that the meeting follows established protocol for incoming city administrations.
“As is customary for a new municipal administration, the mayor-elect plans to meet with the president in Washington to discuss public safety, economic security, and the financial accessibility program,” she said.
Mamdani’s middle name, Kwame — used by Trump in his post — is a tribute to Ghana’s independence leader Kwame Nkrumah.
Campaign hostilities linger
Throughout the race, Mamdani positioned himself as a counterweight to Trump, accusing the president of “fascism.”
Trump, for his part, repeatedly warned voters that Mamdani represented a threat and even suggested he would cut federal funding to New York City if the progressive candidate prevailed.
Sources: The New York Times
