President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will have their first meeting at the White House on Friday after the 34-year-old upstaged his rivals with a campaign centered on his pledge to address the cost-of-living issues.
In a post on his Truth Social site, President Trump called Mamdani a communist and said details about the meeting would be released later.
Mamdani, a self-described Democratic Socialist not only swept aside his independent rival and former governor Andrew Cuomo but also stunned the established Democrats with his grassroots appeal, signaling an end to the era of endorsements.
President Trump supported Cuomo, a factor that might have played in his bagging more than 40% of the vote in the November 4 election.
But it was Mamdani, who kept the spotlight throughout the campaign and secured more than 50% of the vote.
A spokesman for the incoming New York City mayor also confirmed the meeting.
“As is customary for an incoming mayoral administration, the Mayor-elect plans to meet with the President in Washington to discuss public safety, economic security and the affordability agenda that over one million New Yorkers voted for just two weeks ago,” a spokesperson for Mamdani said.
Mamdani’s emergence marks historic moment for American democracy – Scholars
The meeting takes place in response to Mamdani saying he would like to meet the president before assuming the office.
Mamdani will be the first ever Muslim mayor of New York City, while Trump is a native of the Big Apple.
Iftikhar Ali is a veteran Pakistani journalist, former president of UN Correspondents Association, and a recipient of the Pride of Performance civil award
