Trump Announces a "Very Constructive" Meeting with Mamdani

SadaNews - President Donald Trump announced on Friday evening that he held a "very constructive" meeting with elected New York City Mayor Zaran Mamdani.

Trump said at the White House: "We just had a terrific meeting... very productive. We have one common denominator. We want our beloved city to improve," according to a report by the Reuters news agency.

He added, "The better he works the happier I will be... and we will help him achieve everyone's dreams of making New York very strong and safe."

After having previously described Mamdani as a "crazy and foolish communist," and having labeled the Trump administration as "authoritarian," their first meeting (on Friday) at the White House focused more on their shared goals rather than their explosive differences, according to the Associated Press.

Trump and Mamdani discussed affordable housing, grocery prices, and utilities, as Mamdani successfully capitalized on the discontent caused by inflation to win the election, just as Trump did in the 2024 elections.

Mamdani stated, "What I really appreciate about the president is that the meeting we had was not focused on contentious topics, of which there are many, and it also focused on the common goal that brings us together in serving the residents of New York."

Trump indicated that he is already embracing some of Mamdani's ideas regarding inflation issues.

In a separate context, Trump said he would invite Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to the White House. He confirmed that he is pushing for the disarmament of the Palestinian Hamas movement.

Trump also stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will have to accept and eventually agree to the U.S.-backed peace plan to stop the Russian invasion.

He added, while speaking in the Oval Office after his meeting with Mamdani, that he expected the war to end much sooner, but he noted: "It takes two to tango," referring to the necessity for Zelensky to demonstrate a spirit of cooperation.