President Donald Trump and New York City’s Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani cracked jokes during a surprisingly cordial meeting in the Oval Office on Friday.
Mamdani arrived at the White House Friday afternoon for his highly anticipated meeting with Trump, leaving many to speculate if their interactions would be friendly or fiery. After the meeting, both politicians maintained that the meeting went well with a common focus on affordability, with Trump even slipping in a few jokes to lighten the mood.
‘I met with a man who’s a very rational person.’
Mamdani was confronted by a reporter about his previous characterizations of Trump as a “despot.”
“I’ve been called much worse than a despot,” Trump quipped. “So it’s not that insulting. I think he’ll change his mind after we get to working together.”
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Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images
Trump also interrupted Mamdani with a lighthearted comment on another occasion when Mamdani was pressed about calling the president a “fascist.”
“That’s OK, you can just say yes,” Trump said, patting Mamdani on the shoulder. “That’s easier than explaining. I don’t mind.”
Mamdani promptly agreed with Trump and refrained from elaborating on his past comments.
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Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Alongside the many moments where the two joked about contentious remarks they’ve made about each other, both Trump and Mamdani agreed on key issues like affordability and cost of living. Trump acknowledged that their solutions to these issues would likely be different, but he cordially praised Mamdani as a “rational person” who sincerely wants New York City to succeed.
“I met with a man who’s a very rational person,” Trump said. “I met with a man who really wants to see New York be great again.”
“I’ll be cheering for him.”
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