Assistance from Claude AI.
Summary
In a remarkable Oval Office meeting that drew unprecedented press attention, President Donald Trump welcomed New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on November 21, 2025, finding unexpected common ground on housing, affordability, and public safety despite their stark ideological differences. Trump praised Mamdani’s surprise primary victory and pledged federal support, while Mamdani—a self-described democratic socialist who has called Trump a “despot” and “fascist”—focused the conversation on New York’s cost-of-living crisis affecting 8.5 million residents. The two leaders discussed housing construction, grocery prices (Trump cited Walmart’s claim that Thanksgiving costs are 25% lower than last year), utility rates, crime reduction, and potential cooperation on immigration enforcement. Trump indicated he would not cut federal funding to NYC if Mamdani pursues shared goals, and even suggested he would feel comfortable living in New York City under a Mamdani administration. The meeting also touched on Middle East peace efforts, Ukraine negotiations, and Trump’s claim of achieving “peace in the Middle East after 3000 years,” while reporters pressed both leaders on controversial past statements and policy positions.
For a fact-check of major claims, click here.
Participants
Donald J. Trump – President of the United States
Zohran Mamdani – Mayor-elect of New York City
Press Corps including:
– Steven Nelson, New York Post
– Anthony Marschak, MTV Lebanon
– Various reporters from BBC and other outlets
Detailed Meeting Breakdown
Opening Remarks: Congratulations and Common Ground
President Trump opened the meeting by congratulating Mamdani on his “incredible race” in the New York City Democratic primary. Trump noted that Mamdani “beat [opponents] easily” despite facing “very tough people, very smart people” in the early primaries.
Trump emphasized their shared commitment to New York City, stating: “We have one thing in common. We want this city of ours that we love to do very well.” He immediately pivoted to policy areas where they found agreement, specifically mentioning housing construction, food prices, and oil prices.
On economic issues, Trump highlighted falling prices: “We have, as you know, I’ve been saying to a lot of people, Walmart said that Thanksgiving this year is exactly 25% less than last year. So that’s good for New York, good for everybody.” He stressed that reducing prices nationally would benefit New York specifically.
Trump made a notable statement about partisan politics: “I will say there’s no difference in party. There’s no difference in anything. And we’re going to be helping him to make everybody’s dream come true, having a strong and very safe New York.”
Mamdani responded by emphasizing their “shared admiration and love” for New York City and “the need to deliver affordability to New Yorkers.” He described the city’s 8.5 million residents as “struggling to afford life in the most expensive city in the United States of America.”
Mamdani specified the affordability issues discussed: “We spoke about rent, we spoke about groceries, we spoke about utilities, we spoke about the different ways in which people are being pushed out.”
The “Communist” Question and Political Labels
Reporter Steven Nelson from the New York Post immediately challenged Trump about previously calling Mamdani a “communist” and asked whether Trump would prevent Mamdani from arresting Prime Minister Netanyahu if he visits New York (referencing the International Criminal Court warrant).
Trump deflected on the Netanyahu question, saying they “didn’t discuss” that topic. On calling Mamdani a communist, Trump was remarkably conciliatory: “He’s got views that are a little out there, but who knows? I mean, we’re going to see what works or he’s going to change also. We all change. I change a lot, change a lot from when I first came to office.”
Trump expressed confidence in Mamdani’s potential: “I feel very confident that he can do a very good job. I think he’s going to surprise some conservative people, actually.”
When another reporter referenced Mamdani’s recent statements calling Trump “a despot who had betrayed the country,” saying he would be Trump’s “worst nightmare,” and accusing him of having “a fascist agenda,” Mamdani diplomatically responded: “Both President Trump and I, we are very clear about our positions and our views. And what I really appreciate about the president is that the meeting that we had focused not on places of disagreement, which there are many and also focused on the shared purpose that we have in serving New Yorkers.”
Mamdani emphasized the stakes: “That is something that could transform the lives of the 8.5 million people who are currently struggling under a cost of living crisis with one in four living in poverty.”
Trump took the criticism in stride with humor: “I’ve been called much worse than a despot, so it’s not — it’s not that insulting, but maybe — I think he’ll change his mind after we get to working together.”
Later, when pressed to clarify whether he still considers Trump a fascist, Mamdani started to answer but Trump interjected with laughter: “That’s OK. You could just say yes. [Laughter] It’s easier — it’s easier than explaining it. I don’t mind.”
Near the end of the meeting, when asked about Republican Elise Stefanik calling Mamdani “a jihadist” during her campaign, Trump defended Mamdani: “You say things sometimes in a campaign… I met with a man who’s a very rational person. I met with a man who wants to really wants to see New York be great again.”
Middle East Policy and Lebanon
A reporter from MTV Lebanon asked about Trump’s assessment that Hezbollah is “not in a good position” and his plans for pushing toward disarmament.
Trump’s response mixed multiple topics: “We are pushing for total disarmament of Hamas and frankly, everybody else. And we actually have peace in the Middle East.”
Trump then pivoted to discussing the King of Saudi Arabia’s recent visit: “The king of Saudi Arabia just left yesterday. We had some great meetings and he’s made a contribution toward the United States of more than $1 trillion. We have now over $20 trillion coming in. No country has ever had anything like that.”
Context for readers: These investment figures would require verification through official announcements and should be understood as investment commitments rather than direct payments to the U.S. government.
On Hezbollah specifically, Trump said: “I think that Hezbollah has been a problem in Lebanon, big problem. We’re working with Lebanon. We’re working with everybody in the Middle East.” He then made a sweeping claim: “We actually have now for the first time peace in the Middle East after 3000 years.”
Trump expressed willingness to host the Lebanese President at the White House and invited Mamdani to attend if interested.
Mamdani connected Middle East policy to his campaign, explaining that when he spoke with Trump voters in New York on “Hillside Avenue and Fordham Road,” he “heard again and again two major reasons” for their vote: “One was that they wanted an end to forever wars. They wanted an end to the taxpayer dollars… funding violations of human rights and they wanted to address the cost of living crisis.”
Mamdani noted that “one in 10” of his voters had also voted for Trump, to which Trump responded: “And I’m OK with that.”
Immigration, ICE, and Federal Troops
A reporter raised the contentious issue of Trump threatening to “send federal troops to New York City” and the differences between the two leaders on ICE agents. The reporter noted that Mamdani has “called ICE a rogue government entity.”
Trump emphasized their common ground on public safety: “I think we’re going to work them out and I think that if we have known murderers and known drug dealers and some very bad people, you know, we want to get them out and the mayor wants to have peace.”
Trump stressed the importance of safety: “Ultimately, a safe New York is going to be a great New York. If it’s not safe, no matter how well we do with pricing and with anything else we can talk about, anything you want. If you don’t have safe streets, it’s not going to be a success.”
On removing dangerous individuals, Trump said: “I think he wants to get them out maybe more than I do. So we’ll work together.”
When pressed on whether Mamdani would work with ICE, Mamdani explained the existing framework: “The laws that we have in New York City allow for New York City government to speak to the federal administration for about 170 serious crimes.”
Mamdani distinguished between serious crime enforcement and broader immigration actions: “The concerns that many New Yorkers have are around the enforcement of immigration laws on New Yorkers across the five boroughs and most recently we’re talking about a mother and her two children, how this has very little to do with what that is.”
Trump reframed the discussion: “What we did is we discuss crime more than ICE, per se. We discuss crime and he doesn’t want to see crime and I don’t want to see crime and I have very little doubt that we’re not going to get along on that issue.”
Cost of Living and Political Inspiration
When asked whether Trump’s “campaign style, his techniques, his social media use inspired any part of” Mamdani’s campaign, Mamdani focused on the cost-of-living message that resonated with both campaigns.
“When we asked those New Yorkers who had voted for the president when we saw an increase in his numbers in New York City that came back to the same issue: cost of living, cost of living, cost of living,” Mamdani explained.
He listed specific concerns: “They spoke about the cost of groceries, the cost of rent, the cost of Con Ed [Consolidated Edison utility company], the cost of child care and too often politicians are looking to lecture to New Yorkers what they should care about as opposed to listen.”
Trump jumped in on the Con Edison issue: “We talked about Con Edison, we have to work a little bit on getting the prices because, you know, we’ve gotten fuel prices way down, but it hasn’t shown up in Con Edison and we’re going to have to talk to them.”
He elaborated: “If we’re sending them fuel at a much lower price than it was a year ago, which is true, we have to get Con Edison to start lowering their rates.” Mamdani agreed: “Absolutely.”
On the broader cost-of-living issue, Trump said: “The new word is affordability, another word is just groceries. It’s sort of an old fashioned word, but it’s very accurate and they’re coming down.”
Trump blamed the previous administration: “We had both of us, we had the highest inflation in the history of our country the last four years under the Biden administration and we’ve got inflation down now to a normal number.”
Ukraine Peace Plan
Multiple reporters asked about Trump’s Ukraine peace plan and recent comments from President Zelenskyy suggesting Ukraine might have to choose between “giving up a partner or giving up its dignity.”
Trump was frank about the situation: “He’ll have to like it and if he doesn’t like it, then, you know, they should just keep fighting I guess, you know?”
When asked if the U.S. would “pull back its support for Ukraine” if Zelenskyy doesn’t accept the plan, Trump responded: “Well, at some point he’s going to have to accept something… Don’t forget I inherited this war. I would have never — this war never would have happened.”
Trump criticized Zelenskyy’s past decisions: “I thought he should have made a deal a year ago, two years ago. The ultimate deal would have been if it never started, that would have been the good deal that could have been done too if you had the right president.”
Trump provided stark casualty figures: “Last month they lost 25,000 soldiers. This is something we haven’t seen anything like this since the Second World War and they’re averaging 6 or 7,000 a week between the two of them, dead soldiers.”
He expressed frustration about the pace of negotiations: “I think they’re getting reasonably close. But it’s — I don’t want to predict. I would have said that would have been one of my early ones.” Trump noted his relationship with President Putin: “I have a very good relationship with President Putin. I thought that would have been maybe quicker, but it does take two to tango.”
Trump emphasized the human cost: “They’re losing 25,000 lives over the last short period of time. That’s Ukrainian and Russian and it’s a shame.”
Democratic Policies and NYC Governance
A reporter asked both leaders whether they see “Democrat policies specifically as being a problem” in New York City, noting that “Democrats have run New York City for a long time.”
Mamdani acknowledged responsibility while framing his campaign as a break from the past: “There are many things in our city where we have to own the responsibility of it. Things that existed long before the president was the president and those are also part of the message of our campaign was to take on a broken politics of the past and I ran against a number of candidates who represented different versions of that past.”
He highlighted inequality: “Working people were left behind in the politics of our city… we’re in the wealthiest city in the history of the world and yet 1-in-5 can’t even afford $2.90 for a MetroCard.”
Trump noted their alignment: “We had some interesting conversation and some of his ideas really are the same ideas that I have.”
Housing Construction
Both leaders emphasized housing as a priority. Trump said: “He wants to see houses go up, he wants to see a lot of houses created, a lot of apartments built etc. And you know, we actually are — people would be shocked, but I want to see the same thing.”
Trump later reiterated: “He’d like to see [rent] come down ideally by building a lot of additional housing. That’s the ultimate way he agrees with that and so do I.”
Mamdani discussed regulatory barriers: “The president and I spoke about the importance of not only building more housing, but also making sure that regulation of housing is something that is manageable to actually get through and not the cause of yet another weight that we see in our city.”
Property Tax Reform Controversy
A reporter raised a controversial campaign issue, asking about Mamdani’s statements “about shifting the tax burden for property taxes from what he called minority communities to white-based communities and putting more taxes on white people.”
Mamdani clarified: “I am very much interested in property tax reform because what we see right now in New York City is a system that is so inequitable that it can’t even stand up in court.”
When pressed on “race-based property taxes,” Mamdani firmly denied: “No. To be very clear… the use of the term was a description of neighborhoods, not a description of intent… We intend to create a fair property tax system because we want a New York City that is not only fair and equitable, but also one that every New Yorker can afford.”
Federal Funding for NYC
Regarding Trump’s past threats to cut federal funding to New York City, Trump suggested flexibility: “I think if we didn’t get along, whether it’s cut off or just make it a little bit difficult or not give as much. We want to see — I use the term, we don’t want good money going after bad.”
However, Trump expressed optimism after the meeting: “I don’t think that’s going to happen… He wants to see no crime. He wants to see housing being built. He wants to see rents coming down. All things that I agree with.”
Trump emphasized his commitment to New York: “I expect to be helping him not hurting him, a big help because I want New York City to be great… I love New York City, it’s where I come from.”
He criticized the previous mayor: “We took a big setback with a mayor that we had named de Blasio. I thought it was a tremendous setback for the city.”
Police Staffing and Public Safety
A reporter asked about police staffing levels, noting that “many police officers set to come off the rolls at the end of this year in New York City.”
Mamdani committed to maintaining current levels: “I’ve committed over the course of the campaign to maintain the 35,000. That’s the headcount that we had through the campaign.”
He added an important qualifier: “The key thing is that we have to make it easier for police to focus on police work, not ask them to respond to 200,000 mental health calls a year.”
Trump noted that Mamdani “retained a great police commissioner,” referring to Commissioner Tisch. Trump said: “They say she’s really good, really competent and he just retained her. So that’s a good sign.”
Israel, Gaza, and Human Rights
Near the end of the meeting, a reporter asked Mamdani about “anti-Israel protesters” targeting “a synagogue in New York” and whether he’s “concerned about Jewish New Yorkers feeling welcome and safe in the city.”
Note: Mamdani attempted to address this question at the very end but was cut off when staff ended the press availability.
Another reporter asked Mamdani about accusing “the US government of committing genocide in Gaza while President Trump was working on peace.”
Mamdani clarified his position: “I’ve spoken about the Israeli government committing genocide and I’ve spoken about our government funding it.”
He connected it to New York issues: “I shared with the president in our meeting about the concern that many New Yorkers have of wanting their tax dollars to go towards the benefit of New Yorkers and their ability to afford basic dignity.”
Mamdani cited a specific statistic: “We’re in the ninth consecutive year of more than 100,000 school children being homeless in our city.”
When pressed on whether he agrees Trump “worked hard” for Middle East peace, Mamdani said: “I appreciate all efforts towards peace” but added: “I also believe that we have to follow through on the international human rights and I know that still today those are being violated.”
International Law and U.S. Constitution
A reporter asked about Mamdani “talks about New York City being covered by international law” and whether that’s “at odds with US law.”
Trump appeared confused by the framing: “I don’t know what you’re referring to in terms it can be covered by international law, local law, it’s covered by a lot of laws and — but it’s covered by US law.”
Mamdani responded: “What I’ve shared with the president is our desire to not only follow the laws of our own city, laws that protect New Yorkers, but also a desire for consistency in our politics across the board.”
Why This Meeting Generated Unprecedented Interest
Trump himself remarked on the extraordinary press attention: “I’ve had a lot of meetings with the heads of major countries, nobody cared. This meeting, you people have gone crazy. You know, outside you have hundreds of people waiting… The biggest people in the world, they come over from countries, nobody cares, but they did care about this meeting.”
When asked why, Trump explained: “Because I think he’s different, all right? I think he’s different and that can be a very positive way… He has a chance to really do something great for New York. New York is at a very critical point and he does need the help of the federal government to really succeed and we’re going to be helping him.”
Trump recounted Mamdani’s surprise rise: “He came out of nowhere. What did you start off at one or two, and then — I watched. I said, who is this guy? He was at one, then he was at three, then he was at five, then he was at nine. Then he went up to 17… And then all of a sudden he wins the primary that nobody expected he was going to win.”
Bernie Sanders and Populist Overlap
Trump drew explicit connections between his coalition and left-wing populism: “When Bernie Sanders was out of the race, I picked up a lot of his votes and people had no idea because he was strong on not getting ripped off in trade.”
Trump explained: “Bernie Sanders and I agreed on much more than people thought. And when he was put out of the race, I think quite unfairly, if you want to know the truth, many of the Bernie Sanders voters voted for me.”
FDR and the New Deal
Mamdani made a point of praising a portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt in the White House: “I appreciated… a portrait of FDR and the incredible work that was done with the New Deal and also in thinking about what it can look like when the federal government and New York City government work together to deliver on affordability. It can be transformative.”
Trump responded: “We have a great portrait of FDR, that I found in the vaults, that was missing for years. I found it and I put it up. He’s a Democrat, to the best of my knowledge. He’s a Democrat. And when the mayor saw that portrait, he said, sir, do you mind if I have a picture taken by that point?”
Trump added: “He’s a big fan of the New Deal, I guess, and of FDR.”
Other Topics
UK Relations and BBC Lawsuit: When asked about his threatened lawsuit against the BBC and relations with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump said: “We get along very well with the prime minister. We made a deal with UK. I like him, he’s a fine person.” He criticized UK energy policy: “They’ve got windmills all over the place. They’re going to have to start using other methods because their energy is out of control.”
Coast Guard and Hate Symbols: Trump denied knowledge of a Washington Post report that “the Coast Guard is no longer going to characterize swastikas and nooses as hate symbols,” saying “I don’t know anything about it.”
Transportation: When asked why Mamdani flew to Washington instead of taking a train (“Aren’t trains greener?”), Mamdani said he uses “every form of transit” while Trump defended the choice: “The plane takes you 30 minutes and driving takes you a long time.”
Closing Statements
Trump concluded by emphasizing his hopes for Mamdani’s success: “If he could [make New York greater than ever before], we’ll be out there cheering. I’ll be cheering for him.”
When asked if he would “feel comfortable living in New York City under a Mamdani administration,” Trump replied: “Yeah, I would. I really would, especially after the meeting, absolutely… We agree on a lot more than I would have thought.”
Mamdani emphasized his focus: “I consider myself the next mayor of New York City and I keep my horizons firmly on New York City.”
Trump noted the importance of the position: “Being the mayor of New York City is a big deal. I always said, you know, one of the things I would have loved to be someday is the mayor of New York City… I think you’re at a really a turning point one way or the other. It could go great or it can go in a different direction.”
Source
Trump, Donald J. “Remarks: Donald Trump Meets with Zohran Mamdani in the Oval Office – November 21, 2025.” Factbase, 21 Nov. 2025.