During a short press meet inside the Oval Office, a Fox News reporter asked New York City’s Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani if he still believed that President Donald Trump was a fascist. Mamdani started to answer, but Trump interrupted him with a smile. Trump told him he could simply say yes if he wanted and joked that it would save time. He even patted Mamdani’s arm while saying he did not mind the comment.
This moment came at the end of a ten minute meeting that covered big issues like living costs, housing problems and public safety in New York. The room felt tense because Mamdani has spoken very strongly about Trump in the past. Now he has to work with the same White House he once criticized.
Earlier in the meeting, the reporter had pushed Mamdani again on whether he still believed Trump’s policies were fascist or despotic. Mamdani did not give a clear answer. He only said he wanted to work with the president when they agreed on something so he could help the millions of people living in New York City. Trump then jumped in again and joked that people have called him far worse names. He added with a laugh that maybe Mamdani might change his mind about him.
Both men also tried to show that they could work together. Trump spoke about falling energy prices and said he wanted utility companies to lower their rates for people. Mamdani talked about his plan to make life more affordable by focusing on housing, rent, food and electricity. He said many families are struggling and feel they might be pushed out of the city because it is too expensive.
The meeting also shifted to world issues. The reporter asked Trump how his peace plan for Ukraine would work if President Zelenskyy refused to accept it. Trump said Ukraine would have to accept the deal or continue the war. He repeated his claim that American support depended on the agreement and that the number of casualties in the war was much higher than what the public knew.
Public safety in New York also came up. Mamdani said he wanted to keep the police force at around thirty five thousand officers. He also said he planned to send mental health teams to handle calls that were not emergencies. Trump agreed that they both wanted to make the city safer by dealing with dangerous people and helping New York become strong again.
The way Mamdani handled the questions is likely to raise more attention. People will watch how he balances his progressive beliefs with the challenges of actually running the city. Mamdani has often called himself a democratic socialist, but he said he wants to work with the Trump administration whenever it can help New Yorkers.
Trump joked that the press event had more reporters than usual. He said he was open to having more meetings. Mamdani also said he was willing to meet again. He explained that he wants to find common ground because New Yorkers need fast results.
Later that night, Trump posted photos of the visit on his social media page and wrote that it was a great honor meeting the new mayor of New York City.