New York City’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani indicated on Monday that he is ready to sit down with President Donald Trump, saying that any conversation that could help lower living costs for New Yorkers is worth having.
His comments came during a visit to a Bronx food pantry, where he confirmed that his team has already contacted the White House to explore a potential meeting.
The outreach emerged shortly after Trump told reporters on Sunday night that he intended to meet with Mamdani, adding that “we’ll work something out” before boarding his flight back to Washington after a weekend in Florida.
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Mamdani described his willingness to engage as part of a broader promise to work with anyone who can help address the city’s affordability crisis. He argued that Trump’s campaign message about lowering everyday expenses has not aligned with the administration’s actions.
“The president ran a campaign where he spoke about a promise to deliver cheaper groceries, a promise to reduce the cost of living,” Mamdani said after touring Part of the Solution, known as POTS, AP reported. “We are seeing his actions and that of his administration in Washington leading to the exact opposite effect for New Yorkers.”
The mayor-elect also faulted the president over efforts to reduce funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program during the federal government shutdown. He pledged to “protect” city residents from what he called a “federal administration that would rather starve the people of this city, than serve the people of this city.”
A meeting between the two leaders would mark a striking moment in a rivalry that has defined much of Mamdani’s rise. Trump has repeatedly attacked him, calling him a “communist,” forecasting disaster for New York if he won, and even threatening to deport him and strip federal funding from the city. Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and became a U.S. citizen in 2018, has become one of the president’s most visible critics.
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Their potential meeting comes as Trump tries to refocus the national conversation on affordability following Republican losses in Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Although the president insists the economy is strong, he recently declared on social media that the GOP is the “Party of Affordability!”
Mamdani’s own political ascent has been rapid. The 34-year-old moved from representing parts of Queens in the state legislature to defeating former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary. He then went on to win decisively against Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa in the general election.
In his victory speech, Mamdani said New York could demonstrate how to challenge Trump’s influence on the country. He has continued to speak about “Trump-proofing” the city ahead of taking office in January while maintaining that he is willing to collaborate with anyone, including the president, if it improves life for New Yorkers.
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