The incoming New York mayor said he still believes the US president is a fascist, two days after having friendly talks.
Published November 23, 2025
New York City’s incoming mayor Zoran Mamdani says he still believes US President Donald Trump is a fascist, despite a surprisingly warm meeting between the politically polarized pair at the White House this week.
“That’s what I’ve said in the past and I’ll say that today,” Mamdani, who calls himself a democratic socialist, said of the Republican president in an interview aired on NBC News on Sunday.
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Mamdani’s comments came two days after a meeting with Trump in which they put aside months of mutual criticism and pledged to work together on the city’s future.
Mr. Trump, who grew up in New York, called Mr. Mamdani a “100% communist lunatic” in a social media post after winning the next mayoral race, and Mr. Mamdani said Mr. Trump was attacking democracy.
During the meeting, Trump, who had previously suggested the Ugandan-born New Yorker should be deported, even came to his aid while the two addressed reporters at the White House.
When a journalist asked Mamdani if he continued to see Trump as a fascist, the president intervened.
Trump told Mamdani: “It’s okay. Just say it. It’s easier that way.” “It’s easier than explaining. I don’t mind.”
Mamdani further elaborated on his position in an interview with NBC.
“What I appreciated about my conversation with the president was that he wasn’t shy about our differences and the politics that have brought us to this moment.”
“My meeting with the president was a productive one, one that kept coming back to the core themes of our campaign: housing, child care, groceries, and utilities.”
During the meeting, President Trump praised Mamdani’s historic election victory and said he would do a “great job” after threatening to cut federal funding to the nation’s largest cities and deploy the National Guard.
“We just had a great, very productive meeting. We all have one thing in common, and that is we want this city that we love to do well,” he later said. “We will help him realize everyone’s dream of making New York strong and safe.”
National Economic Council Chairman Kevin Hassett told CNN’s “State of the Union” that President Trump wants to work with everyone who cares about the future of Americans.
“While we may sometimes disagree on policy, I think the goal of making life better for everyone is something that many of us on the Democratic and Republican sides share,” Hassett said.
