Trump says will meet with New York mayor-elect Mamdani on Friday

Published
3
New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani speaks at an event in San Juan, Puerto Rico on November 6. — Reuters
New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani speaks at an event in San Juan, Puerto Rico on November 6. — Reuters

US President Donald Trump said he will host New York’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani for a meeting on Friday, after fiercely attacking the 34-year-old self-described Democratic Socialist during his recent campaign.

Trump, while repeating his false claim that Mamdani is a “communist,” said on his Truth Social platform that the meeting “will take place at the Oval Office on Friday”.

Mamdani’s spokesperson Dora Pekec confirmed the meeting in a statement.

“As is customary for an incoming mayoral administration, the mayor-elect plans to meet with the President in Washington to discuss public safety, economic security and the affordability agenda that over one million New Yorkers voted for just two weeks ago,” Pekec said on Wednesday.

Trump’s meeting with Mamdani marks the coming together of two men raised in the Queens borough of New York, but their similarities may end there.

While Trump frequently touts the record-breaking gains on Wall Street during his presidency, Mamdani’s view on the economy extends beyond the bullish financial markets in downtown Manhattan to an affordability crisis facing a city of over 8 million people.

As the first mayoral candidate to surpass the one-million-vote mark in New York since 1969, Mamdani campaigned on pledges of affordable housing and childcare, as well as free rides on city buses and city-run grocery stores.

Experts have questioned Mamdani’s ability to deliver on his idealistic and broad-reaching platform.

Virulently anti-immigrant Trump has derided Mamdani’s South Asian name, and threatened to cut federal funding for New York upon the Muslim’s election to run America’s largest city.

“Mandami, whatever the hell his name is,” Trump said recently — deliberately mispronouncing the Uganda-born politician’s surname.

Mamdani has not backed down from Trump, calling out the 79-year-old Republican during his victory rally earlier this month.

“Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you — turn the volume up!” he said to his cheering supporters.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later confirmed the president had indeed watched Mamdani speak.

Opinion

Editorial

Fixing bond markets
Updated 01 Oct, 2026

Fixing bond markets

Pension funds, insurance companies, mutual funds, retail investors, and eventually, foreign investors must become bigger participants in the market.
Call centre rackets
01 Oct, 2026

Call centre rackets

A NUMBER of recent raids conducted by the authorities in different cities point to the growing threat fraudulent ...
Homeward bound
01 Oct, 2026

Homeward bound

FIVE months after Somali pirates captured an oil tanker carrying a 19-member multinational crew, Somali maritime...
Kashmir unresolved
Updated 30 Sep, 2026

Kashmir unresolved

The just solution lies in India addressing the issue through a trilateral dialogue involving the legitimate representatives of the Kashmiri people and Pakistan.
Water shortage
30 Sep, 2026

Water shortage

THAT the country is entering the Rabi season with an anticipated water shortage of nearly 25pc, the lowest carryover...
Young hearts
30 Sep, 2026

Young hearts

THE observance may have passed, but the message of World Heart Day should not fade with it. The occasion is a useful...