WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President donald trump On Sunday, he indicated he planned to meet with New York City’s next mayor. Zoran Mandani And he said he would “work something out” that could lead to détente between the Republican president and Democratic political stars. they use each other as political foils.
President Trump has for months criticized Mamdani, falsely labeling him a “communist” and predicting that his hometown of New York would be destroyed if the democratic socialist was elected. He also threatened to deport Mamdani, a Ugandan-born naturalized American, and to withdraw federal funds from the city.
Mamdani went from being an unknown state lawmaker to a social media star and becoming a symbol of resistance against Trump during the mayoral race. He campaigned on a series of progressive policies and a message that explicitly opposed the aggressive, anti-immigrant policies put forth by President Trump during his second term in the White House.
The 34-year-old appeals to a wide range of New Yorkers, defeating former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, one of the political heavyweights, by nearly 9 percentage points.
In his election night victory speech, Mamdani said he wanted New York to show the country how to defeat the president. But the next day, the mayor-elect talked about his plans to “stand up to President Trump” in New York after taking office in January, while also saying he was willing to work with anyone, including the president, if it could help New Yorkers.
Mamdani city representatives had no immediate comment on the president’s remarks Sunday night, but a spokesperson pointed to the mayor-elect’s comments last week and said they would reach out to the White House “because this relationship is critical to the city’s success.”
President Trump expressed similar sentiments on Sunday.
“The mayor of New York wants to meet with us. We’re going to work something out,” Trump told reporters as he prepared to return to Washington after spending the weekend in Florida.
White House press secretary Caroline Levitt clarified shortly afterwards that Trump had mentioned Mamdani and said no date had been set for such a meeting.
“I hope everything goes well for New York,” Trump said.
President Trump’s comments came as he also said the United States may soon consult with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in response to the military buildup near Venezuela in South America. “I’m willing to talk to anybody,” Trump said.
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Price reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Jake Offenharts in New York contributed to this report.
