Given the grim forecast, it was as shocking as if cats and dogs decided to make a love story.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Most important for New Yorkers of all stripes, there was very real substance to the friendly vibes and pledges of cooperation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The president was so pleased with their initial 45-minute private meeting that he withdrew his previous threat to slash federal funding for Gotham because of Mamdani\u2019s election and promised instead to help the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI expect to be helping him, not hurting him,\u201d Trump said as Mamdani stood beside him in the Oval Office, with the president sitting behind his glorious desk.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t\t\tMore From\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMichael Goodwin<\/p>\n
Trump added his view that he and the democratic socialist pol \u201cagree on a lot more than I would have thought.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI want him to do a great job, and we\u2019ll help him do a great job,\u201d Trump added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In a rebuke to the naysayers, he also said, \u201cI would feel very, very comfortable being in New York, and I think much more so after the meeting.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Color me delighted by the rare moment in politics where the surprise was all to the upside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As I watched the chummy press conference and friendly body language between them, it struck me that the moment marked a huge win for both men.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And it was all free of charge because it cost neither of them anything to show the other respect.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A lost art\u00a0<\/p>\n
The ability to get along with adversaries is something of a lost art in politics these days, even though most Americans want their elected officials to work together for the common good.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But social media and rabid party-first types dominate on both left and right, and as the temperature rises, the attacks have gotten nastier. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s not a coincidence that political violence is growing more common as a result.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Trump, of course, has been a victim of that violence, and has long established himself as an unbeaten counterpuncher.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But he took a very different approach Friday, playing the genial role of an experienced and friendly elder as he and Mamdani put on a clinic on how simple respect can be simultaneously good manners and good politics.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Trump even laughed when a reporter asked about Mamdani having called him a \u201cfascist.\u201d <\/p>\n
As the 34-year-old Mamdani started to answer, the 79-year-old president tapped the mayor-elect\u2019s arm and said, smiling, \u201cThat\u2019s OK, you can just say yes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOK, all right,\u201d Mamdani said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s easier than explaining it. I don\u2019t mind,\u201d Trump added. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been called much worse.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Doing his part to keep the upbeat mood, Mamdani made a point of talking about how Trump had gained votes in New York in the last presidential election, and recounted a story he told before about talking to some of the president\u2019s supporters.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we spoke to those voters who voted for President Trump, we heard them speak about the cost of living,\u201d Mamdani said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe focused on that same cost of living.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Trump added his approval, saying \u201ca lot of my voters actually voted for him, and I\u2019m OK with that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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The bonhomie highlights one of the great failures of Dem congressional leaders from the city. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries<\/a> in the House and Sen. Chuck Schumer<\/a> have not taken advantage of Trump being a New Yorker to get more out of him for the city he so clearly loves.\u00a0<\/p>\n Instead, they act like free-floating partisans, untethered from any responsibility to help the people who sent them to Washington.\u00a0<\/p>\n They are Democrats first, and New Yorkers second. <\/p>\n Hopefully, the new mayor will not make the same mistake.\u00a0<\/p>\n As for cross-over voters, Mamdani\u2019s smartest move was to brand the cost-of-living issue with a catchy name, calling it the affordability crisis.\u00a0<\/p>\n Because it is undeniable that the price of everything in New York is going through the roof, his opponents were stuck trying to play catch-up on his turf.\u00a0<\/p>\n As is usually the case, the candidate who best defines the most common issue wins.\u00a0<\/p>\n A common cost\u00a0<\/p>\n Unfortunately, the victor\u2019s solution in this case is straight out of the socialism playbook: raise taxes on the wealthy and businesses to provide more free services to more New Yorkers.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s effectively a ramped-up continuation of the high-spending, high-tax policies that created the current crisis and drove hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers to other states.\u00a0<\/p>\n More of the same, this time on steroids, is likely to bring more pain than gain and an even larger exodus.\u00a0<\/p>\n Still, it\u2019s no small matter that Trump himself is engaged in a new effort to tackle the cost of living nationally.\u00a0<\/p>\n Although his economic agenda was key in his 2024 victory, polls now show increasing numbers of Americans are unhappy with rising prices and Trump\u2019s tariffs are seen as a factor.\u00a0<\/p>\n In response, the president is considering a plan to hand out checks to low- and middle-income families of at least $2,000, and the idea is being called a \u201ctariff rebate.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n My biggest regret about Friday is that Trump failed to note the shocking rise of antisemitism in New York, and Mamdani\u2019s outrageous history of anti-Israel comments.\u00a0<\/p>\n The president\u2019s own record in helping to protect the Jewish state from Iran and Hamas doubles his credibility to speak with authority on the topic. <\/p>\n He could have at least drawn attention to a situation that remains dangerously overheated, as proved again Wednesday by the hate-filled harassment at a Manhattan synagogue.\u00a0<\/p>\n Patrol model\u00a0<\/p>\n Still, for Mamdani, Friday capped a surprising and successful week as he prepares to take the oath Jan 1.<\/p>\n![\"Donald](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/shakes-hands-new-york-mayor-115979482.jpg\")
The meeting came after both politicians took shots at each other in recent months. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n