Donald Trump said on Wednesday night that he will meet Zohran Mamdani at the White House on Friday. He said Mamdani asked for the meeting, and he plans to sit with him in the Oval Office on November 21st.
Trump posted the update on Truth Social, where he also used the line, “Communist Mayor of New York City, Zohran ‘Kwame’ Mamdani, has asked for a meeting,” even though that claim is not true. He added that more details would come after the sit-down.
Zohran, who becomes mayor in January, won the Democratic primary in June by beating Andrew Cuomo, and then beat Cuomo again in the general election this month.
The win shocked the national political scene because Zohran was a little‑known state lawmaker from Queens just a few months ago.
Trump backed Cuomo at the end of the race and said he would cut federal funds from New York if Zohran won. He also said he would deport Zohran, who was born in Uganda and became a U.S. citizen in 2018.
Mamdani sets meeting terms
Zohran’s spokesperson Dora Pekec said the Mayor-elect is meeting Trump to talk about public safety, economic security, and what she called “the affordability agenda that over one million New Yorkers voted for just two weeks ago.”
She said this is standard for an incoming mayor who is preparing to work with the federal government.
Zohran explained his goals during an appearance on MS Now’s show “All in with Chris Hayes.” He said he wants to speak “plainly” to Trump about what New Yorkers face every day.
He said people across the city keep telling him they cannot keep up with the cost of living, and many said that is why they voted for Trump.
Zohran listed child care, rent, Con Ed bills, and even bus fares as issues he keeps hearing about. He said the problems have continued to build through the last months of the year, and the meeting is a chance to raise them directly.
Trump shifts tone after Republican losses
For months, Trump attacked Zohran online and on stage, saying the city would collapse if Zohran became mayor. He repeated the “communist” label many times and said he would pull federal money from New York.
But after Republicans lost races in Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and also New York earlier this month, Trump began to talk more about affordability. He even posted that Republicans were now the “Party of Affordability!” while saying the U.S. economy is the strongest it has ever been.
On Monday, Zohran confirmed that his team had already contacted the White House and said he hoped the meeting would happen soon. He will take office in January, and his staff has been trying to set up high-level talks before the transition begins.
During his victory speech earlier this month, Zohran said New York could show the country how to beat Trump.
But he also said he would work with anyone if it helped New Yorkers. He has also talked about “Trump-proofing” the city once he takes office while still being open to cooperation on federal programs that benefit residents.
Zohran’s rise has been fast. He went from a state lawmaker representing Queens to mayor-elect of the country’s largest city in a matter of months. He won on a message built on affordability and basic services.
Trump, who once said he would block Zohran from running the city, will now face him across a table in the Oval Office with both sides coming in from very different angles.
The meeting will test how each plans to talk about economic security at a moment when New Yorkers are struggling and national politics is running hot.
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