New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani described the “weirdest” thing he saw during his visit to the White House last week.
Mamdani was making an appearance on The Adam Friedland Show on Monday.
Mamdani was in Washington, D.C. for a sit-down with President Donald Trump at the White House last Friday.
“What was the weirdest thing he [Trump] showed you?” Friedland asked Mamdani.
Highlights
- Zohran Mamdani spoke about the thing he found to be the "weirdest" at the White House on Friday.
- Mamdani boldly called Trump a fascist during their meeting, with Trump encouraging him to say it openly.
- They discussed NYC's affordability crisis, focusing on housing, child care, groceries, and utilities challenges.
- Trump retracted his 'communist' label for Mamdani, noting they actually share many common ideas.
Zohran Mamdani spoke about the ‘weirdest’ thing he saw at the White House
Image credits: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
“I sit down, waiting for the time of the meeting, and in front of me are all of these different coffee-table books. And one of them is UFC at the White House. I had no idea, and I was just flippin’, flippin’ through that,” Mamdani responded.
When Friedland asked if he planned to attend the White House UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) event scheduled for June, Mamdani laughed and simply answered, “No.”
The light moment contrasted sharply with the tense campaign season that preceded it. Throughout the mayoral race, Trump repeatedly attacked Mamdani, calling him a “communist lunatic” and questioning his fitness to run the nation’s largest city.
Even after Mamdani won the Democratic primary against former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and then defeated him again in the general election after Cuomo launched an independent bid, Trump continued to threaten that he might cut federal funding if Mamdani became mayor.
Image credits: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
But after their White House meeting last week, the president abruptly shifted his tone. On Truth Social, Trump called it a “Great Honor” to meet the incoming mayor.
Mamdani also offered more details about the meeting in separate interviews.
On NBC’s Meet the Press, Mamdani spoke of the viral moment when a reporter asked him if he still believes Trump is a fascist, a label he has used before.
As Mamdani hesitated to respond, Trump interjected, saying, “That’s okay, you can just say it. It’s easier, it’s easier than explaining it.”
Mamdani said after the meeting that he stands by his belief that Trump is a fascist
“After President Trump said that, I said, ‘Yes,’” Mamdani told moderator Kristen Welker. He added that he stands by the belief that Trump is a fascist.
“That’s something I’ve said in the past, and I say today. And I think what I appreciated about the conversation that I had with the president was that we were not shy about the places of disagreement, about the politics that have brought us to this moment, and we also wanted to focus on what it could look like to deliver on a shared analysis of an affordability crisis for New Yorkers,” Mamdani added.
He told Welker that he and Trump discussed the affordability crisis, where he reiterated to Trump how many New Yorkers voted for the president because of his affordability promises.
“We were speaking about what is preventing us from delivering on that affordability agenda,” Mamdani told Welker.
Mamdani’s platform focuses on affordable housing costs, free child care, and lowering grocery prices and utility bills. He discussed the obstacles to addressing these problems with Trump, including zoning regulations, approval processes, and construction costs.
Trump took Mamdani into the Cabinet Room, where they viewed presidential portraits, including that of Franklin D. Roosevelt, in front of which the two leaders posed for a photograph.
When the door opened for photographs, Trump went back on his comments, calling Mamdani a “communist.” Trump suggested he often falsely referred to Mamdani as a communist when the two actually had quite a bit in common.
Image credits: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
“Some of his ideas really are the same ideas that I have. We agree on a lot more than I would’ve thought,” Trump said, sitting at his desk while Mamdani stood beside him.
Mamdani told CNN he also raised concerns about federal enforcement and immigration. While Mamdani did not reveal what Trump said, he said he told the president that New York would collaborate with the federal government as long as it stays within existing parameters.
Law enforcement is required to collaborate with federal agencies on immigration only when there are people convicted of violent crimes. “The concern comes from beyond those crimes,” Mamdani told CNN.
Trump walked back his ‘communist’ label for Mamdani, saying they agree on several ideas
Image credits: Demetrius Freeman/Getty Images
“The many New Yorkers who are being arrested, they’re being detained, they’re being deported for the crime of showing up to a regular court appearance at 26 Federal Plaza for the crime of simply being present in New York City.”
“Working people have been left behind in New York. In the wealthiest city in the world, one in five can’t afford $2.90 for the train or bus. As I told Trump today—it’s time to put those people right back at the heart of our politics,” Mamdani wrote on X after his meeting with the president.
Mamdani will be sworn in on New Year’s Day.