President Trump dismisses past criticism of Mayor-elect Mamdani
“I’ve been told worse.” President Donald Trump dismissed past criticism of incoming New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani.
President Donald Trump and Mayor Zoran Mamdani have a lot of history.
Mamdani, a democratic socialist, remains (mostly) in Trump’s favor despite significant policy differences, and the two have used social media and face-to-face meetings to forge a unique political relationship.
But those differences are often made public, with President Trump harshly criticizing Mamdani’s new tax plan for wealthy residents on Thursday, and the first-term mayor responding via on-message on Friday.
Here’s how their bromance from Washington DC to New York evolved over time.
What did President Trump think of Mamdani before he became mayor?
The Democratic Socialists suffered a major blow from Republicans after securing the Democratic primary last year. Mamdani defied all odds and defeated one of New York’s biggest political dynasties to win the right to vote, a result that shocked the nation.
The president continued to insult the mayoral candidate in the months that followed, calling him a communist. Mamdani also strongly opposes most of Trump’s policies, calling him a fascist.
In one instance, Mamdani said he would not support ICE officers in the city. President Trump responded by threatening to arrest him.
President Trump also said that “a lot of people say he’s in the country illegally,” which is false. Mamdani, who was born in Uganda, is a naturalized U.S. citizen.
“The president of the United States just threatened to arrest me, strip me of my citizenship, put me in a concentration camp, and deport me, not because I broke any laws, but because I refuse to allow ICE to terrorize our cities,” Mamdani said after speaking.
“We will not respond to this threat.”
As the election approached, President Trump endorsed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and said he would withhold federal funding if the Democratic Socialist won. The city receives billions of dollars from the federal government each year.
“If communist candidate Zoran Mamdani wins the New York City mayoral election, it is highly unlikely that he will contribute any federal funds to his beloved first home, except for the bare minimum federal funds,” Trump posted on Truth Social last year.
“Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really don’t have a choice. You have to vote for him and hope he does a great job. He can do that, Mamdani doesn’t!”
Is Mamdani a socialist?
So, is Mr. Mamdani a communist like Mr. Trump says? The mayor considers himself a democratic socialist, and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) describes it as “a system in which ordinary people have a real voice in their workplaces, communities, and society.”
“We want a democracy driven by everyday people,” the group says on its website.
“The capitalist class tells us we are powerless, but together we can take back control.”
What was President Trump’s reaction to Mamdani’s victory?
Trump, a native New Yorker, posted on Truth Social after his victory: “It finally happened. The Democrats have crossed the line. Zoran Mamdani, a 100% communist lunatic, won the Democratic primary and is on his way to becoming Mayor.”
“We’ve had radical leftists before, but this is getting a little ridiculous. He looks terrible, his voice is raspy, he’s not very smart, he’s got AOC+3, all the dummies are supporting him, and even our great Palestinian senator, crying Chuck Schumer, is cringing at him. Yes, this is a big moment in our country’s history!”
First direct meeting between Trump and Mamdani
A few days later, Mamdani requested a meeting with the president, and Trump agreed. The two met for the first time on November 21st.
After the first in-person meeting, Mamdani said at the White House that it was a “productive meeting that focused on New York City, a place we share admiration and love for, and the need to provide affordability for New Yorkers.”
President Trump said, “If possible, I think we’ll have a really great mayor.”
“I hope to help him, not hurt him.”
There was some degree of policy coherence between the two, including on affordability.
“He wants crime to go away, he wants housing to be built, he wants rent to go down, and I agree with all of that,” Trump said after the meeting.
“Now, we may disagree on how to get there.”
According to reports, during the meeting, President Trump even said about Mamdani, “I’d rather see him in person than on TV.”
Since then, Mamdani has largely ignored Trump’s crosshairs, even though they have differed on specific issues, even meeting him again at the White House after he became mayor.
Why is President Trump furious with Mamdani now?
This week, Mamdani announced plans to tax the wealthy, one of his key campaign promises. The mayor, alongside Gov. Kathy Hochul, announced the state’s first new pied-à-terre tax.
The new tax “would impose an annual surcharge on one- to three-unit homes, condos, and co-ops valued at $5 million or more if the owner has another principal residence outside of New York City,” the city said.
However, President Trump did not like this new policy.
“Sadly, Mayor Mamdani is trying to destroy New York! No chance! America should not be complicit in New York’s failures,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday.
“It’s only going to get worse. Taxes, taxes, tax policy is so wrong. People are fleeing. They have to change their ways, and fast. History has shown us that this ‘thing’ just doesn’t work.”
How did Mamdani react?
“Both the president and I want the city to succeed. This is the way to do it,” Mamdani said Friday.
“I’ve made it clear to the president and the people that I wholeheartedly support taxing the wealthy,” Mamdani said at a news conference on trash.
