Zohran Mamdani on conversations with Trump: “They’re honest, they’re direct” 02:54<\/p>\n
Former President Barack Obama met with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani<\/a> for the first time on Saturday, where they read to preschoolers and led a sing-along at a child care center.<\/p>\n The meeting comes as Mamdani, a democratic socialist, is also trying to build a working relationship with Republican President Trump. The meeting comes just over a week after Mamdani marked his 100th day in office<\/a>.<\/p>\n Obama and Mamdani did not take questions after reading the book “Alone and Together” to the children, and leading a sing-along of “The Wheels on the Bus.”<\/p>\n The two leaders discussed the mayor’s vision for New York City and the importance of early childhood education, according to a news release from the mayor’s office.<\/p>\n “Great spending time with New York City’s Cutest,” Obama said in a post on X<\/a>. “And thanks to @NYCMayor<\/a> for giving me an excuse to break out my best ‘Wheels on the Bus.'”<\/p>\n The former two-term president and standard-bearer for the Democratic Party has offered to be a sounding board for Mamdani, 34, whose star power, youth and progressive agenda has made him stand out in Democratic politics.<\/p>\n Mamdani took office in January<\/a> after a campaign centered on making New York City a more affordable place to live, centering his agenda on refocusing the vast power of government toward helping the city’s struggling working class.<\/p>\n Days before the election in November, Obama and Mamdani spoke over the phone<\/a> as some other major Democrats took a cautious political approach when it came to the democratic socialist.<\/p>\n