Zohran Mamdani Signals Openness to Trump Talks Amid New York Affordability Squeeze
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said Monday that he hopes to meet soon with President Donald Trump to address the city’s affordability crisis, including looming threats to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The outreach suggests he is prepared to work with the White House despite months of sharp political clashes.
Why It Matters
A potential meeting would mark a notable shift in tone between the Republican president and the 34-year-old democratic socialist who has quickly become one of Trump’s fiercest critics. Since the summer, Trump has repeatedly gone after Mamdani, labeling him a “communist,” predicting New York’s downfall if he won and even threatening to deport him, despite Mamdani becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2018.
Trump has also floated the idea of pulling federal funding from the city. The rhetoric has softened somewhat after Republicans suffered major electoral setbacks in New Jersey, Virginia and Georgia, with Trump now heavily emphasizing affordability and branding the GOP the “Party of Affordability!”
What To Know
Speaking at a food pantry in the Bronx, Mamdani said his team has reached out to arrange a meeting after Trump told reporters Sunday that the two would “work something out” following the president’s weekend in Florida. Mamdani said the outreach reflects his commitment to sit down with anyone who can help New Yorkers cope with rising costs, particularly as food insecurity worsens.
“The president ran a campaign where he spoke about a promise to deliver cheaper groceries, a promise to reduce the cost of living,” Mamdani said at Part of the Solution, or POTS. “We are seeing his actions and that of his administration in Washington leading to the exact opposite effect for New Yorkers.”
Mamdani forcefully criticized Trump’s push to cut SNAP funding during the federal government shutdown, arguing the program is vital for hundreds of thousands of city residents. He vowed to “protect” vulnerable New Yorkers from “a federal administration that would rather starve the people of this city, than serve the people of this city.”
He said he plans to make SNAP benefits a central topic if a meeting with Trump happens, stressing that food assistance was a cornerstone of his campaign.
Trump told reporters on Sunday that Mamdani had requested a meeting, saying, “The mayor of New York, I will say, would like to meet with us and we’ll work something out. He would like to come to Washington and meet and we’ll work something out.”
He did not specify a date but added: “We want to see everything work out well for New York.”
Mamdani’s swift ascent — from a little-known Queens assemblyman to New York City’s next mayor — has rattled the political establishment. He defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a June Democratic primary, then cruised to victory in the general election against Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
In his victory speech, Mamdani said he wanted New York to show the country “how to defeat the president,” while also promising to work with anyone, including Trump, if it ultimately benefits New Yorkers once he takes office in January.
Mamdani has further pledged to be “proactive” in trying to dissuade the administration from sending ICE agents and National Guard troops into New York.
What People Are Saying
In a November 11 interview with NBC, Mamdani said: “I’ll say that I’m here to work for the benefit of everyone who calls the city home and that wherever there is a possibility for working together towards that end, I’m ready. And if it’s to the expense of those New Yorkers, I will fight it.”
President Donald Trump, speaking to Fox News’ Bret Baier earlier this month, said: “[Mamdani] has to be a little bit respectful of Washington. Because if he’s not, he doesn’t have a chance of succeeding, and I want to make him succeed, I want to make the city succeed…And we’ll see what happens.”
What Happens Next
Mamdani is set to become the youngest mayor of New York in more than a century and the city’s first Muslim mayor when he is inaugurated on January 1, 2026.
