New York City’s Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani said he intends to call President Donald Trump before assuming leadership of the city officially, signaling that he would be ready to work collaboratively in the interest of New Yorkers.
“I will be reaching out to the White House as we prepare to actually take office because this is a relationship that will be critical to the success of the city,” Mamdani told NBC New York in an interview.
Prior to November 4 NYC mayoral election, President Trump had threatened to withhold funds for the city if Mamdani was elected but he has lately softened his tone somewhat.
“I will be proactive,” Mamdani said of his plans to avert a situation where the federal government sends ICE agents and national guard troops to the city as part of the Trump Administration’s ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration.
EXCLUSIVE: Mamdani outlines ‘proactive’ approach for dealing with Trump, previews what he’d say on first call, in new interview with @MelissaRusso4NY. https://t.co/O3zcT86orJ
— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) November 11, 2025
Mamdani ran his campaign on the cost-of-living issues and pledged to address New Yorkers’ pressing demand to restrain skyrocketing rents and improve transportation services – something that earned his grassroots movement a wide support among the city’s mainstream and diverse communities.
Mamdani underscored that as mayor of the city it would be his responsibility to work together with political opponents and not let things come to a pass where people might have to face repercussions.
“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,” Mamdani, who describes himself as a Democrat Socialist, told NBC when asked what he would say to President Trump during his call.
“And if it’s to the expense of those New Yorkers, I will fight it,” he said.
Mamdani’s emergence marks historic moment for American democracy – Scholars
On the eve of the election last week Trump expressed his support for Mamdani’s main opponent former governor Andrew Cuomo and urged New Yorkers to vote for him.
President Trump’s Border Czar Tom Homan recently said he would “flood the zone” with immigration enforcement agents in the so-called sanctuary cities like New York to “make New York safer, with or without (Mamdani.)”
After the elections, Trump, however, said, “I hope it works out for New York” and “we’ll help him a little bit, maybe.”
“He (Mamdani) has to be a little bit respectful of Washington because if he’s not, he doesn’t have a chance of succeeding,” Trump told Fox News.
“I want to make the city succeed,” the U.S. president added.
During the NBC interview, Mamdani said he has been in discussions with Governor Kathy Hochul on how to deal with threats from the Administration as he noted that it is important to prevent that kind of pressure.
Ali Imran is a Washington-based journalist, who has worked for leading world news organizations as correspondent, expert and in editorial positions. He is a published author and poet.
