USA Charm offensive in the Oval Office: Trump raves about Mamdani
Even US President Donald Trump was apparently unable to resist Zohran Mamdani's charm: The Republican appeared downright charmed by the future New York mayor, whom he had recently described as a "communist lunatic".
22.11.2025, 01:50
SDA
"You have a chance to do something great," Trump enthused, shaking Mamdani's hand repeatedly and praising his "incredible campaign against a lot of smart people". The meeting behind closed doors in the White House was "really good" and "very productive", the 79-year-old continued.
In front of the cameras, the Republican and the 34-year-old left-wing Democrat, who is calling for higher taxes for the rich and companies and has described Trump as a "fascist", presented a surprisingly harmonious picture. In his office, the Oval Office, Trump repeatedly nodded in agreement and smiled in Mamdani's direction while the latter stood next to him with folded hands - an appearance that was hardly reminiscent of the sharp election campaign rhetoric of recent months.
Trump: Mamdani a "very rational person"
Mamdani's term of office officially begins on January 1, 2026, one minute after midnight (local time). Asked whether he would feel comfortable as a billionaire under the new mayor, Trump, who was born in New York and lived there for decades, replied without hesitation: "Absolutely." Especially after this meeting, he added.
When asked about Islamophobic attacks from within the ranks of his party, Trump explained that such tones were part of the election campaign. Mamdani is a "very rational person". He will be the first Muslim to govern the most populous city in the USA. During the election campaign, he was denigrated as a "jihadist" by a Republican.
As mayor, Mamdani will be responsible for the 116 billion dollar budget of the metropolis of millions on the east coast as well as for hundreds of thousands of city officials.
Mamdani: "Time with the president appreciated"
Prior to the meeting in the White House, there was speculation as to how the meeting would go given the sharp tones. Among other things, Trump had called Mamdani a "one hundred percent communist lunatic" and threatened to withdraw federal funding from New York. Now it all sounded like it had been forgotten. "We have one thing in common," Trump said. "We want our beloved city to do great."
Mamdani himself explained that he had spoken to Trump in particular about the financial burdens of everyday life in New York. "We live in the richest city in history, and yet one in five people can't even afford a train ticket for 2.90 dollars," said the mayor-elect. It was about rents, the high prices for food and energy costs. "I really appreciated the time I spent with the President," said Mamdani. He is looking forward to working together.
"Serving New Yorkers together"
During the election campaign and on election night, the Democrat had sharply attacked the US President. However, this no longer seemed to matter to Trump. He had already been called far worse than a "despot", joked the Republican in response to a corresponding question. "Maybe he'll change his mind when we've worked together."
Mamdani replied that the respective positions had been "very clearly explained" to each other. What he appreciated about Trump was that the meeting was not about the "numerous differences of opinion", but about the "common goal of serving New Yorkers".
Trump a fascist? Trump: "Can just say yes"
When the mayor-elect was asked whether he would continue to call Trump a fascist, he began to explain. But Trump interrupted him and said, while patting Mamdani's arm: "That's fine. You can just say yes. It's easier than explaining it."
Trump's Vice President JD Vance was thrilled with the response: "The President has a lot of good moments," he wrote on the X platform to a video clip of the exchange. "But this one is an absolute classic."
Concerns about ICE's actions: migration as a conflict issue
However, both politicians are likely to have been aware that there could still be clashes in the future. In New York, for example, there are concerns that Trump could order the deployment of the National Guard, as he has recently done in other cities, or support increased raids and arrests by the immigration authority ICE. ICE is already causing fear among many migrants. On the evening of his election victory, Mamdani 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 towards Trump.
In the Oval Office, both sides assured each other that they wanted to pull together on security in the metropolis of millions. However, despite all the unity, it was precisely this issue that most clearly showed where the potential for conflict is likely to lie in the future: Trump repeatedly stamps migrants as criminals across the board and has also now declared that "known murderers and drug dealers" must be taken out of the city. Mamdani, on the other hand, emphasized that his aim was to protect the people of New York. At the same time, many New Yorkers are unsettled by the actions of the federal authorities.
