On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump announced that he would host the New York City Mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani, at the Oval Office on Friday. In a post shared on his Truth Social platform, Trump said: " Communist Mayor of New York City, Zohran ‘Kwame’ Mamdani, has asked for a meeting.” He added that both sides agreed to the meeting and that "further details" would be shared soon.
The announcement follows months of sharp exchanges between the two of them, with Trump repeatedly attacking Mamdani as a communist during the mayoral race and threatening to cut federal funding to New York if Mamdani won. At one point, he even suggested deporting Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and became a naturalised US citizen in 2018.
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Inside Mamdani’s agenda for his first presidential sit-down
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Mamdani said he intends to “share the facts about the affordability crisis in the city.” He said it is his responsibility to "leave no stone unturned" in the effort to make the city more livable. Mamdani said, “It behoves me to ensure that I leave no stone unturned in looking to make this city more affordable”, adding further, “And this is a meeting where I look forward to speaking about the affordability agenda, public safety and economic security for each and every person who calls this city home.”
As per a report by India Today, the mayor-elect’s spokesperson, Dora Pekec, said the Oval Office visit is standard for an incoming NYC mayor. She said Mamdani will focus on “public safety, economic security and the affordability agenda that over one million New Yorkers voted for just two weeks ago.”
White House frames meeting as a step toward dialogue
According to the India Today report, setting aside the heated campaign rhetoric, the White House is framing the meeting as a sign of engagement. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “I think it’s very telling, but I also think it speaks to the fact that President Trump is willing to meet with anyone, and talk to anyone, and to try to do what’s right on behalf of the American people.”
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Mamdani, who takes office officially in January, said earlier this week that his team had reached out to the White House to schedule a conversation. Trump later confirmed that he was open to meeting, telling reporters they would “work something out.”
