New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani says he plans to focus on affordability when meets with President Trump on Friday at the White House.
This is scheduled for 15:00
Mamdani held a news conference Thursday morning at City Hall Park, the day after Mr. Trump announced upcoming meeting between them. Many are wondering whether the high-stakes discussion will ease tensions between two leaders who have openly criticized each other.
The mayor-elect called it “an opportunity to speak up for New Yorkers” and said he also plans to discuss economic security and public safety.
“I will be ready for whatever happens,” Mamdani said.
Availability comes first
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“Tomorrow I will travel to Washington to meet with President Trump at the White House. It is customary for the mayor of this city to meet with the White House, given their mutual dependence,” Mamdani said Thursday morning. “This is more important than ever given the national affordability crisis—one that New Yorkers know all too well in these five boroughs—and the specific challenge many cities face in balancing public safety with the steps taken by the current administration.”
The mayor-elect said his team asked for help organizing the meeting “because I will work with anyone to make life more affordable for the more than 8.5 million people who call this city home.”
As for potential disagreements?
“I have many disagreements with the president, and I believe that we must be adamant and pursue every opportunity and every meeting that could make our city accessible to every New Yorker,” he continued. “I intend to make it clear to President Trump that I will work with him on any agenda that benefits New Yorkers. If any agenda harms New Yorkers, I will also be the first to say so.”
Mamdani says she will seek common ground
Mamdani said New Yorkers could view the meeting as a meeting of “two completely different candidates who they voted for for the same reasons.”
“They needed a leader who would take on the cost of living crisis that is keeping working people from being able to afford to live in this city,” he added.
After Trump's victory in the 2024 electionsMamdani said he spoke with people in areas that lean the most toward Republican candidates – Hillside Avenue in Queens and Fordham Road in the Bronx.
“When I asked New Yorkers who they voted for and why, I met many who voted for President Trump and they told me it's an affordability crisis, it's the cost of living, the cost of living, the cost of living,” he said. “They said they remember that four years ago they could afford rent, child care, con and public transportation more than they could at that point.”
Mamdani said this is something he and the president have in common.
“We ran a campaign focused on the same thing: the cost of living. And in fact, we found that one in 10 New Yorkers who voted for Trump ended up voting for our campaign, and they did that because they were looking for leaders who could actually solve the cost of living crisis,” Mamdani said.
“An opportunity to reach New Yorkers”
CBS News' Marcia Kramer in New York asked Mamdani how he was feeling ahead of the White House meeting. He told reporters he wasn't concerned and viewed it as an opportunity.
“This is an opportunity to reach New Yorkers, and this is a case that reflects what New Yorkers are going through at this time,” he told Cramer.
He pointed out that one in four New Yorkers live in poverty and one in five struggle to afford bus fare $2.90.
“New Yorkers who find it increasingly difficult to afford everyday life,” he continued. “And this is an opportunity that I have to convey to President Trump, to the White House, about what it means to suffer through this affordability crisis and what it means to make it even more difficult.”
Mamdani was asked whether he expected to face any backlash from the president or other lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Mr. Trump has been an outspoken critic democratic socialistpreviously calling him a “communist” and threatening to withhold federal funding.
“Being a New Yorker means you're prepared for all situations, all types of comments, all types of comments,” Mamdani responded on Thursday. “At the end of the day, the focus should be on what you're doing, why are you here? And for me, it’s not about me, it’s not about a relationship with a person, but about the relationship between New York and the White House, the president, the federal administration.”
According to Kramer, it's important for the two to get into a relationship for a number of reasons. It's not just about federal aid or threats from White House border czar Tom Homan send more ICE agents to the city. Mamdani will need a federal security clearance to be briefed on terrorist threats and other law enforcement matters, and the president may hold the key to that.
CBS News New York asked Mamdani's team if he plans to meet with other lawmakers in Washington and was told we'll find out on Friday.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has tried to forge a working relationship with the president despite deep political differences, says she believes the two men can find common ground.
“Let's finish the Gateway Tunnel. Let's work on our subway system, the money we need here in the city. And also just talking about not sending in the National Guard because crime is going down dramatically,” Hochul said.
“A communist is coming to our White House”
“The fact that a communist will come to the White House tomorrow says a lot, because he was the one the Democratic Party elected mayor of the largest city in the country,” said White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt. “I think it's very telling, but I also think it speaks to the fact that President Trump is willing to meet with anyone and talk to anyone and try to do what's right on behalf of the American people, whether they live in blue states, red states or blue cities, and in a city that is becoming much more left-leaning than I think the president ever expected in his many years living in New York itself.”
Leavitt was asked if Mamdani could convince the President not to cut off funding to New York City because he threatened.
“We'll see how tomorrow's meeting goes and I'll let the president speak for himself,” Leavitt said.
Mamdani on differences with Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch
The mayor-elect's remarks follow Wednesday's announcement that NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch agreed to stay as chief of the police department.
“Every commissioner must be a strong advocate for those who work in their department or agency, and I look forward to ensuring that that is the case throughout my administration – where when I meet with commissioners, I know they are expressing the concerns of those they work with, those they represent, so we can make sure we are truly addressing them,” Mamdani told reporters on Thursday.
He added that any disagreements they may have “are actually signs of a healthy relationship.”
“Too often, mayors and leaders tend to surround themselves with people who are quick to say yes as opposed to quick to give their honest opinion,” he said.
Like Mamdani transition group continues to formhe asks his supporters help raise $4 million for transition costs.
