Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the The Daily Wire. The author of this post is Jennie Taer.
President Donald Trump offered an optimistic view of the direction of New York City after meeting with Democratic socialist Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani at the White House on Friday.
During a press conference that followed, Trump said the two found common ground in their desires to reduce the cost of living, while also cracking down on crime. He also acknowledged that Mamdani has
"views that are a little out there," adding that he's likely to change.
"I feel very confident that he could do a very good job. I think he is gonna surprise some conservative people, actually," Trump told reporters from the Oval Office.
Mamdani described the meeting as
"productive," saying the discussion was
"focused on a place of shared admiration and love, which is New York City, and the need to deliver affordability to New Yorkers ... who are struggling to afford life in the most expensive city in the United States of America."
At one point during the press conference, Mamdani was asked if he would stand by his earlier comments labeling Trump as a fascist.
Trump quickly jumped in as Mamdani danced around the question, joking that
"you could just say yes."
Mamdani said one in ten of his voters previously cast ballots for Trump, to which the president responded:
"And I'm okay with that."
On the campaign trail, Mamdani, a 34-year-old assemblyman from Queens, promised to institute rent control, increase taxes on the wealthy, and pull police funding for social services.
The far-left radical also pledged to allocate $100 million as legal support for illegal immigrants facing deportation and to uphold the city's sanctuary status.
During his victory speech on November 5, Mamdani took multiple jabs at Trump, calling him a
"despot," as the below excerpt shows:
After all, if anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him. And if there is any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power.
This is not only how we stop Trump; it's how we stop the next one. So, Donald Trump, since I know you're watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up.
We will hold bad landlords to account because the Donald Trumps of our city have grown far too comfortable taking advantage of their tenants. We will put an end to the culture of corruption that has allowed billionaires like Trump to evade taxation and exploit tax breaks. We will stand alongside unions and expand labor protections because we know, just as Donald Trump does, that when working people have ironclad rights, the bosses who seek to extort them become very small indeed...
So hear me, President Trump, when I say this: to get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us. When we enter City Hall in 58 days, expectations will be high. We will meet them. A great New Yorker once said that while you campaign in poetry, you govern in prose.
Despite Mamdani's radical positions, Trump said he's hopeful the two will
"work ... out" their differences when it comes to immigration raids and policing.
"If we have known murderers and known drug dealers and some very bad people, we want to get them out .. We discussed this at great length, actually, maybe more than anything else. He wants to have a safe New York, ultimately, a safe New York is gonna be a great New York."
Additionally, he has vowed to open government-run grocery stores and free buses.
Mamdani has also faced backlash for criticizing Israel and repeatedly refusing to condemn the slogan
"globalize the intifada."
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