Trump meets Mamdani "A communist is coming to the White House"
Between winning the election and taking office, Mamdani will want to avoid being drawn into conflicts. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
During the transition phase, the mayor-elect will have to make personnel decisions. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
Between winning the election and taking office, Mamdani will want to avoid being drawn into conflicts. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
During the transition phase, the mayor-elect will have to make personnel decisions. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
His election caused an international stir and Zohran Mamdani will soon be governing the largest city in the USA. Before he takes office, he has a politically explosive appointment: a meeting with Trump.
21.11.2025, 13:57
dpa
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Zohran Mamdani takes office as Mayor of New York on January 1, 2026.
- He has to pass his first test today, Friday: President Trump receives him in the Oval Office.
- Mamdani is working on filling his government and has made his first, sometimes controversial, personnel decisions.
- For example, police chief Jessica Tisch, who is unpopular with his base, remains in office.
Following the mayoral election in New York, the focus is now on taking office: Zohran Mamdani will move into City Hall in the metropolis of millions in a few weeks' time.
Until then, the 34-year-old left-wing Democrat has important personnel decisions to make - and the challenge of not being drawn into conflicts before then.
Mamdani has to pass his first test today: He is expected in the Oval Office by the president who has repeatedly called him a "communist". "A communist is coming to the White House", says Karoline Leavitt yesterday. The fact that he will become mayor of New York in January says a lot, according to the White House spokeswoman.
But the fact that Mamdani is coming also shows that President Trump is willing to talk to everyone, Leavitt explained.
What is the relationship between Trump and Mamdani?
Before the election, US President Donald Trump sharply attacked Mamdani and threatened New York with the withdrawal of federal funding. There is concern in the city that the president could order the deployment of the National Guard or support increased action by the immigration authority ICE, as he has recently done elsewhere. ICE is already putting many migrants in fear: there have recently been high-profile arrests on Canal Street and some families have been separated in court.
But Mamdani also attacked Trump sharply during the election campaign. On the evening of his victory, he emphasized that New York would remain a city of immigrants. "To get to one of us, you have to get past all of us," he said. Whether he maintains this tone in the Oval Office remains to be seen. In an interview with MS NOW, he explained that they are looking to talk to Washington if it benefits the approximately 8.5 million New Yorkers.
A first test could be the security clearance that New York's mayor usually receives from the federal government in order to be informed about threat situations. Trump has already used this instrument to put pressure on political opponents.
When will Mamdani take office?
Mamdani's term of office officially begins one minute after midnight (local time) on January 1, 2026. He must take the oath of office before starting work. When and where the swearing-in ceremony will take place has not yet been decided. Mamdani's predecessor Eric Adams was sworn in during the famous New Year's Eve celebrations in Times Square in 2022.
What will happen until then?
Mamdani must have his government largely in place. He has already convened a transition team for the planning - it consists exclusively of women. Lina Khan has been given special attention. The 36-year-old headed the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) under President Joe Biden and is considered a prominent advocate of stricter regulation of large corporations. Mamdani also chose the highly experienced administration employee Dean Fuleihan as his deputy, while Elle Bisgaard-Church remains his chief of staff.
Who else does Mamdani have at his side?
Mamdani is dependent on a functioning administration for his work. Shortly after the election victory, his team launched a job portal. According to his team, tens of thousands have already registered.
However, the most important thing is how Mamdani fills key positions. His decision to keep police chief Jessica Tisch in office attracted attention. The leadership of the New York Police Department (NYPD), which has around 50,000 employees, is a highly influential position.
The move is notable because Mamdani has emerged as a major NYPD critic in the past, accusing the department of racist practices, among other things. During the election campaign, he publicly apologized for this. His left-wing base continues to be skeptical of Tisch as they back a tougher line on policing.
Why is Mamdani soliciting donations again?
During the election campaign, Mamdani had to stop his appeals for donations because the permissible upper limit had been reached. However, he needs money again for the transition phase after the election: he is not allowed to use campaign funds to build his future government.
Normally, the financing of this transition phase is rather discreet, with most of the funds coming from a few wealthy supporters. Mamdani is taking a different approach and - as in the election campaign - is relying on many small contributions.
According to his own figures, his team has already collected more than one million dollars from around 12,000 donors - an average of around 78 dollars per contribution. By comparison, his predecessor Adams received an average of around 1,000 dollars per contribution from around 880 donors during his transition phase, while de Blasio received 820 donors with an average of around 2,400 dollars.
Are conflicts already looming?
Mamdani is pursuing an ambitious agenda: more affordable housing, free childcare and a better bus network - financed by higher taxes on the wealthy and companies. To achieve this, he needs the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the parliament in Albany. Hochul, a moderate Democrat, has so far rejected tax increases.
Critics warn that higher burdens could drive residents and businesses out of New York and thus weaken the labor market and tax revenues. Supporters counter that the metropolis will remain attractive despite higher taxes and that no major exodus is to be expected. Ultimately, it will depend on how pragmatically Mamdani acts - and whether he accepts the risk of upsetting his base with compromises.
At the same time, Mamdani is under scrutiny from groups such as the Anti Defamation League (ADL) due to his harsh criticism of Israel. It has set up a "Mamdani Monitor" to keep an eye on his personnel decisions, among other things. However, Mamdani also enjoys great support among progressive sections of the Jewish New York electorate. On election night, the mayor-elect assured voters that he wanted to lead a City Hall that "would not waver in the fight against the evil of anti-Semitism".
What will change for Mamdani personally?
For example, his place of residence could change. Mamdani currently lives with his wife - the 28-year-old artist Rama Duwaji, who will become the youngest First Lady in the modern history of the metropolis of millions - in an apartment with a bedroom, living room, bathroom and kitchen in the New York borough of Queens, where the rent is 2300 dollars a month.
As mayor, he is entitled to the so-called Gracie Mansion on the posh Upper East Side rent-free. The mayor's official residence has five bedrooms and a large garden, among other things. So far, Mamdani has not said whether he actually wants to move in.
Mamdani will also receive a substantial salary increase: as a member of the New York State Assembly, the 34-year-old has so far earned around 142,000 dollars a year gross; as mayor, his salary will rise to around 260,000 dollars.
