While President Donald Trump and New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani doled out praise for each other after their White House huddle Nov. 21, 2025, the two have not shied away from trading barbs in the past. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
TRUMP SAYS HE WILL MEET NYC MAYOR-ELECT ZOHRAN MAMDANI THIS WEEK
"Well, then we'll have to arrest him," Trump told reporters at the White House July 1. "Look, we don't need a communist in this country, but if we have one, I'm going to be watching over them very carefully on behalf of the nation. We send him money. We send him all the things that he needs to run a government."
Also in July, Trump told reporters during a Cabinet meeting that New Yorkers shouldn’t vote for Mamdani, and described him as "a man who's not very capable in my opinion, other than he's got a good line of bulls---."
Trump also has repeatedly called Mamdani a "communist" — a term that Mamdani said is a false characterization of his political ideology. Mamdani instead has said that he is a democratic socialist.
TRUMP SAYS MAMDANI MEETING IN THE WORKS: 'WE'LL WORK SOMETHING OUT'
"I expect to be helping him, not hurting him — a big help," President Donald Trump said Friday. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)
DAVID MARCUS: MR. MAMDANI GOES TO WASHINGTON BETWEEN ROCK AND HARD PLACE
Mamdani also said in a press conference Nov. 5 after the election that he would seek to "Trump-proof" New York in order to safeguard "those with the least from the consequences of a man with the most power in this country."
However, the two appeared to forge a new path for their relationship as they found common ground on affordability issues and improving conditions in New York. Trump admitted that the two had more in common than he thought — despite their different views — and that he would be "cheering" for Mamdani as he leads the city.
"I expect to be helping him, not hurting him — a big help," Trump said Friday.
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Trump also brushed off Mamdani’s "despot" comment in the Oval Office Friday, claiming he’s faced worse and that he believes Mamdani will change his tune as the two work together.
"I’ve been called much worse than a ‘despot,’ so it’s not, it’s not that insulting. I think he’ll change his mind after we get to working together," Trump said.
Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trumps-wild-mamdani-flip-insults-came-before-love-fest