US President Donald Trump and New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on Nov. 22, 2025. (Getty Images)
Mamdani says he still believes Trump is 'fascist' despite friendly White House meeting
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New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani told NBC’s Meet the Press that he still believes President Donald Trump is a “fascist” and a “despot,” despite a surprisingly cordial face-to-face meeting at the White House on Friday.
The meeting marked the first in-person encounter between the two men, who have spent months trading sharp insults during the campaign. Mamdani described the encounter as “productive,” while Trump told reporters he would be “cheering” for the mayor-elect.
Asked by reporters if he still stood by his campaign comments calling Trump a fascist, Mamdani responded: “Everything that I’ve said in the past, I continue to believe.” He added that the meeting allowed them to openly acknowledge areas of disagreement while focusing on shared priorities, particularly addressing New York’s cost-of-living crisis.
“After President Trump said that, I said, ‘Yes,’” Mamdani told Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker, referring to his prior criticism. “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 has 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.”
The meeting came after a heated election period. Trump previously referred to Mamdani as a “100% Communist Lunatic” on social media, while Mamdani accused Trump of attacking democratic institutions. Yet, during the Oval Office visit, both men appeared cordial and even joked with reporters, with Trump telling Mamdani, “That’s OK, you can just say it… it’s easier than explaining it.”
Mamdani, a democratic socialist, emphasized that his political stance remains firm but that working with Trump on critical issues like affordability is a priority. “I’m not coming into the Oval Office to make a point or make a stand. I’m coming in there to deliver for New Yorkers,” he said.
