New York mayor-elect says he \u2018will meet with anyone\u2019 to push forward his affordability agenda for the largest US city.<\/p>\n
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has said he is \u201cnot concerned\u201d about a potential clash with United States President Donald Trump<\/a> when the two officials meet at the White House on Friday.<\/p>\n Mamdani \u2014 who is set to take office on the first day of 2026 \u2014 stressed on Thursday that he will negotiate with the presidency to push forward his affordability agenda for the largest US city.<\/p>\n Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list<\/p>\n The democratic socialist underscored that both he and Trump ran campaigns focused on the cost-of-living crisis.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why everything comes back to making the case for an affordability agenda,\u201d Mamdani told reporters.<\/p>\n \u201cI will meet with anyone. I will speak to everyone so long as it could stand to benefit an economic agenda for New Yorkers. And that\u2019s where I will always make the case.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump, a Republican, has been a vocal critic of Mamdani, often falsely calling him a \u201ccommunist\u201d. The White House has gone as far as suggesting that it would consider stripping the mayor-elect of his US citizenship.<\/p>\n The president also threatened to withhold funds to New York and deploy federal forces to the city if Mamdani is elected.<\/p>\n Many of Trump\u2019s allies have echoed his criticisms and used Islamophobic language against the Muslim mayor-elect.<\/p>\n Representative Elise Stefanik, for instance, called Mamdani a \u201cjihadist\u201d, and Laura Loomer, a right-wing activist with close ties to the White House, falsely claimed that the mayor-elect will implement Islamic law in New York.<\/p>\n But after Mamdani won his election this month, Trump appeared to soften his stance, telling Fox News he wants<\/a> to \u201cmake the city succeed\u201d.<\/p>\n Late on Wednesday, Trump announced<\/a> on social media that he would host Mamdani at the White House, but not without taking shots at the mayor-elect\u2019s politics and middle name.<\/p>\n \u201cCommunist Mayor of New York City, Zohran \u2018Kwame\u2019 Mamdani, has asked for a meeting,\u201d Trump wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have agreed that this meeting will take place at the Oval Office on Friday, November 21st.\u201d<\/p>\n Critics argue that Trump has used the bully pulpit of the White House to ambush and belittle guests, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and South African leader Cyril Ramaphosa<\/a>.<\/p>\n At a White House visit in February, for instance, Trump accused Zelenskyy of \u201cgambling with World War III\u201d and \u201cdisrespecting\u201d the US, as media cameras rolled.<\/p>\n When asked on Thursday what he would do if he were to receive the Zelenskyy treatment<\/a> in the Oval Office, Mamdani said: \u201cI\u2019ll stand up for New Yorkers every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n The mayor-elect also said that he views the meeting as an opportunity to make his case personally to the president.<\/p>\n A New York State lawmaker, Mamdani, 34, had minimal name recognition before launching his mayoral campaign late last year.<\/p>\n