Mamdani stands by fascist label as Trump relationship thaws
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
President Trump shakes hands with New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani as they meet in the Oval Office on Nov 21. Photo: Jim Watson / AFP via Getty Images
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said in an interview aired Sunday he still believes President Trump is a fascist and a threat to democracy, even as he pledged to work with him to deliver for New Yorkers.
The big picture: Even in recent months, Trump threatened to arrest Mamdani and starve New York of federal funding. By Friday, they were bonding over rent prices and grocery costs in the Oval Office.
Driving the news: Asked if Trump had assured him he wouldn't send troops into the city, Mamdani said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that he made it "very clear what we wanted to do was to deliver public safety and affordability, and the NYPD would be the ones to do so."
- He said he told the president during their Friday meeting that "what separates New York City from anywhere else in the country is we have the NYPD," which Mamdani said he trusted to "deliver public safety."
- The comments came after Mamdani's first trip to the Oval Office as mayor-elect, where he and the president emphasized common ground on tackling the city's affordability crisis.
Catch up quick: Mamdani, the city's first Muslim elected mayor, has cast Trump as a threat to both the city and the country.
- Mamdani's meteoric rise further fueled the president's focus on his hometown as the GOP cast the democratic socialist as a far-left bogeyman, falsely calling him a communist.
- Trump had threatened to have Mamdani arrested if New York blocked federal immigration officials from detaining undocumented immigrants and said he'd withhold federal funding from a city that receives billions in federal dollars each year.
- In August, amid a National Guard crackdown and police takeover in D.C., the president said New York City would be one of his next targets.
Yes, but: That was before a cheery Trump praised and defended the "very rational" Mamdani, saying during their Oval Office Q&A that they agreed on "a lot more than I would have thought."
- On Saturday, Trump said he would still deploy the National Guard to New York City "if they need it," but added that, for now, "other places need it more."
Zoom out: National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett also signaled Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union" that Trump is, at least for now, backing off threats to cut the city's funding.
- "I guess we'll have to wait and see what Mamdani does," he said. "I think that we are really reassured that we've kept the police commissioner."
- Mamdani said he will retain police commissioner Jessica Tisch, whom the mayor-elect applauded Sunday for her leadership in combatting crime and corruption.
Friction point: Trump and Mamdani's surprise congeniality does not mean months of tensions are simply wiped away.
- Mamdani reiterated in the "Meet the Press" interview, "Everything that I've said in the past, I continue to believe. And that's the thing that I think is important in our politics, is that we don't shy away from where we have disagreements, but we understand what it is that brings us to that table."
Go deeper: Inside Trump and Mamdani's surprising bond of convenience
