Trump Says He ‘Absolutely’ Would Live In New York Under Zohran Mamdani

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – U.S. President Donald J. Trump now says he would “absolutely” live in New York under incoming mayor Zohran Mamdani, despite repeatedly calling him “a Communist” during the campaign.

“We agree on a lot more than I would have thought,” Trump told reporters Friday after the highly anticipated Oval Office meeting with the democratic socialist mayor-elect, a devout Shia Muslim. “I want him to do a great job, and we’ll help them do a great job.”

“I always feel very, very comfortable being in New York, and I think much more so after the meeting,” Trump added, signaling a dramatic shift in tone toward a politician he once tried to stop from being elected.

MEETING FOCUSED ON CITY

Mamdani described the meeting as “productive” and rooted in “shared admiration and love… for New York City and the need to deliver affordability to New Yorkers.”

Trump repeatedly emphasized issues where he said the two men found common ground, including housing shortages, rising food prices, and affordability, despite previously deriding the term “affordability” as a “Democratic hoax.”

Reporters noted that Trump, who has insisted for months that prices have fallen during his administration — a claim critics say is contradicted by government data — leaned heavily into Mamdani’s economic message. “We talked about some things in very strong common like housing and getting housing built, and food and prices,” he said.

Mamdani, for his part, remained relentlessly focused on affordability and economic justice — themes central to his energetic campaign, which promised free buses, universal childcare, a $30 minimum hourly wage, a rent freeze, and city-run supermarkets, all financed through higher taxes on the top 1% of earners.

His critics resurfaced again in the Oval Office when conservative media figure Jack Posobiec pressed him about whether he intended to tax white New Yorkers more than others.

TAX POLICY DEBATE

The question appeared to reference an interview Mamdani gave to broadcaster NBC earlier this year in which he defended proposals to tax “richer and whiter” neighborhoods, arguing that New York’s current property tax system is deeply inequitable.

On NBC’s Meet the Press in June, Mamdani was also asked whether billionaires — including those living in New York — have “a right to exist.” He replied: “I don’t think that we should have billionaires because, frankly, it is so much money in a moment of such inequality.”

While New York’s mayor can propose increases to property taxes, any actual revenue changes ultimately require approval from the state legislature and the governor.

In a striking break from Republican strategy to cast Mamdani as an extremist, Trump repeatedly intervened to shield him from aggressive questioning.

When Fox News Channel correspondent Jacqui Heinrich asked Mamdani whether he considers Trump a “fascist,” the president cut in: “That’s OK… you can just say it, it’s easier than explaining it,” while tapping Mamdani’s arm.

TRUMP STEPS IN

He again defended Mamdani when Heinrich questioned why he had flown to Washington instead of taking a train, suggesting that a train would have been more environmentally friendly. “I’ll stick up for you,” Trump said. “It’s much faster to fly, and he’s busy.”

Asked whether he agreed with Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik’s labeling of Mamdani as a “jihadist,” Trump brushed the remark aside as “campaign rhetoric,” adding: “I met with a man who’s a very rational person.”

Mamdani remained focused on affordability and refused to be drawn into ideological fights, even when pressed by critics about his tax philosophy.

The meeting’s unexpectedly cordial tone appeared to undermine Republican plans to portray Mamdani as the new face of Democratic extremism.

Writer John DeLillo captured the political shock in a satirical exchange imagining Johnson vowing to “make Zohran Mamdani the face of the Democratic Party,” only for Trump to reply: “and what a beautiful face it is!”

ALLY REACTS ONLINE

A close ally of Mamdani, New York City official Brad Lander, reacted online by posting: “Pretty sure Zohran just charmed Donald Trump into agreeing that he’s a fascist.”

Instead of confrontation, viewers saw smiles, light taps on the arm, and Trump praising Mamdani’s grassroots campaign, saying he “came out of nowhere” and has “a chance to do something really great for New York.”

“If he can,” Trump said, “we’ll be out there cheering.”

Mamdani will take office on New Year’s Day, 2026, as New York’s first-ever Muslim mayor.

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