Trump plans to meet with Mamdani, says he'll 'work something out' with
New York City's mayor-elect
[November 17, 2025]
By MICHELLE L. PRICE and CHRIS MEGERIAN
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump indicated Sunday
that he plans to meet with New York City's mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani
and said they'll “work something out," in what could be a detente for
the Republican president and Democratic political star who have cast
each other as political foils.
Trump has for months slammed Mamdani, falsely labeling him as a
“communist” and predicting the ruin of his hometown, New York, if the
democratic socialist was elected. He also threatened to deport Mamdani,
who was born in Uganda and became a naturalized American citizen, and to
pull federal money from the city.
Mamdani rose from an obscure state lawmaker to become a social media
star and symbol of the resistance against Trump during his mayoral
campaign. He campaigned on an array of progressive policies and a
message that was stark in its opposition to the aggressive,
anti-immigrant agenda Trump has rolled out in his second White House
term.
The 34-year-old appealed to a broad cross-section of New Yorkers and
defeated one of its political heavyweights, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, 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 day after, while
speaking about his plans for “Trump-proofing” New York once he takes
office in January, the incoming mayor also said he was willing to work
with anyone, including the president, if it can help New Yorkers.
Representatives for Mamdani did not have an immediate comment Sunday
night on the president’s remarks, but a spokesperson pointed to the
mayor-elect’s remarks last week when he said he planned to reach out to
the White House “because this is a relationship that will be critical to
the success of the city.”
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New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani departs El Hotel Caribe
Hilton after attending the SOMOS Puerto Rico conference in San Juan,
Puerto Rico, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)
Trump expressed a similar sentiment on Sunday.
“The mayor of New York, I will say, would like to meet with us.
We’ll work something out," Trump told reporters as he prepared to
fly back to Washington after spending the weekend in Florida.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified shortly after
that Trump was referring to Mamdani and said no date had been set
for such a meeting.
"We want to see everything work out well for New York,” Trump said.
Trump's comments came as he also said the U.S. may hold discussions
soon with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, after a military
buildup near the South American country: “I’ll talk to anybody,"
Trump said.
___
Price reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Jake
Offenhartz in New York contributed to this report.
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