NEW YORK CITY – President Donald Trump and New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani met on Friday in the Oval Office, the first face-to-face between the two since Mamdani’s election victory.
READ MORE: Trump, Mamdani meet in the Oval Office l WATCH the full debrief
“I think he’s different…”
— President Donald Trump
After their Oval Office meeting, both President Trump and Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani described the conversation as productive and focused on shared priorities.
What they said::
Following the meeting, Trump said, “We’ve just had a great meeting. A really good, very productive meeting. We have one thing in common — we want this city of ours that we love to do very well.” He also congratulated Mamdani on what he called “an incredible race,” noting that the mayor-elect “beat a lot of smart people… and he beat them easily.”
Mamdani echoed the president’s tone, calling it “a productive meeting focused on a place of shared admiration and love, which is New York City.” He said the two discussed key affordability issues including rent, groceries, and utilities, and added, “I appreciated the time with the president. I appreciated the conversation. I look forward to working together to deliver that affordability for New Yorkers.”
AffordabilityÂ
Both Trump and Mamdani said affordability was a key focus of their meeting — and an unexpected point of agreement.
Mamdani said his campaign was built on “taking on a broken politics of the past” and putting working people “back at the heart of our politics,” pointing out that “in the wealthiest city in the history of the world, one in five can’t even afford $2.90 for a MetroCard.”
Trump echoed that message, saying, “Some of his ideas really are the same ideas that I have.” He emphasized that “the new word is affordability,” adding that everyday costs like groceries remain a top concern. The president credited his administration with bringing inflation “down to a normal number” and said it’s “going to go even a little bit lower than that.”
Trump and Mamdani meeting
JUMP TO: LIVE UPDATES
FOX 5 NY will have live updates before and after the meeting beginning this afternoon. You can watch raw, un-anchored coverage of the event on our YouTube page. Check the YouTube event embedded below. If using mobile app click here to watch YouTube Live.
The two are expected to discuss the city’s affordability crisis, public safety and economic security.
Mamdani arrives in D.C. ahead of first White House meeting with Trump
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has arrived in Washington, D.C., ahead of his highly anticipated first meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House. The meeting — expected to begin this afternoon, will be the first face-to-face between the two since Mamdani’s election victory. FOX 5 NY’s Morgan McKay has the latest from the White House.
 3:44 p.m.
“I appreciated the meeting with the president. And as he said, it was a productive meeting focused on a place of shared admiration and love, which is New York City and the need to deliver affordability to New Yorkers,” Mamdani said.Â
3:38 p.m. Trump and Mamdani address the press
“I want to congratulate the mayor,” Trump said as Mamdani stood next to him.
“The better he does the happier I am, I will say there’s no difference in party,” Trump said.
“We’re going to be helping him, to make everybody’s dream come true, having a strong and very ssafe New York,” Trump said.Â
3:15 p.m. Mamdani is inside the White House 2:51 p.m. Reports that Mamdani is inside 11:30 a.m. | Trump says ‘I think it’ll be quite civil’
In an interview with Fox News Radio Friday morning, President Trump said he expects his meeting with Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to be “quite civil.” “I think we’ll get along fine,” Trump said. “Look, we’re looking for the same thing — we want to make New York strong.” The president acknowledged that Mamdani “has a different philosophy,” but credited the mayor-elect for running “a good race.” When asked about Mamdani’s past criticisms of him, Trump shrugged off the tension with a smile, saying, “I’m a little hard, too, in all fairness.”
Around 10:30 a.m. | Mayor-elect arrives
Mamdani lands in Arlington, VA.
8:39 a.m. | Mayor-elect posts selfie
Mamdani posts a selfie to his X account, with the caption including a plane emoji.
What time is the meeting?
The meeting is scheduled for 3 p.m. EST.Â
Are cameras allowed inside the Oval Office? 
It was not immediately clear whether cameras would be allowed into the meeting. Trump’s daily schedule said it would be private, but the president often invites a small “pool” of reporters in at the last minute.
The backstory:
The Oval Office meeting, announced earlier this week by the president, marks the first face-to-face between the two leaders following a contentious campaign season. Trump had previously referred to Mamdani as a “communist” and “a threat to democracy,” but both sides have since signaled a willingness to work together on key issues affecting New Yorkers.
A spokesperson for the mayor-elect said earlier in the week that the meeting would focus on the priorities that defined Mamdani’s campaign: “public safety, economic security, and the affordability agenda that over one million New Yorkers voted for just two weeks ago.”
Big picture view:
The meeting also follows Mamdani’s decision to retain Jessica Tisch as New York City’s police commissioner, a move aimed at maintaining stability in the NYPD’s leadership as the new administration transitions into office.
Mamdani said he plans to press the president on policies that impact the cost of living in New York. Meanwhile, a senior Trump administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe internal discussions said Trump had not put a lot of thought into planning the meeting with the incoming mayor, but said Trump’s threats to block federal dollars from flowing to New York remained on the table.