NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to focus on affordability when he meets with President Donald Trump at the White House

Political rivals New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and President Donald Trump, who has falsely called Mamdani a communist, will meet on Friday at the White House, with all eyes watching to see whether the two can bridge their differences.

At a City Hall Park news conference Thursday morning, Mamdani vowed to deliver his message to Trump about the need to make New York City more affordable.

He also told the assembled news media and others looking on that 1 in 10 of his voters also had voted for Trump, citing rising costs. 

"When I asked those New Yorkers who they voted for and why, I met many who voted for President Donald Trump. And they told me it was the affordability crisis, it was cost of living, cost of living, cost of living. And they said that they remembered being able to afford their rent, their child care, their ConEd, their public transit, more four years ago than they could in that moment," Mamdani said.

The meeting, announced by Trump late Wednesday on his social media site Truth Social, comes after White House border czar Tom Homan said this week he expected to increase the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in New York, which he described as a "sanctuary" city. Mamdani had requested the meeting with Trump to discuss the city's relationship with the White House going forward.

Mamdani said he will tell the president of his intention to act as a shield for all city residents, whether from price gouging or immigration raids. The mayor-elect also said he will make it clear to the president "that I will look to be representing every single person who calls the city home."

Trump's announcement continued the president's pattern of falsely calling Mamdani, a democratic socialist, a "communist."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt repeated the false moniker Thursday during a White House briefing and declined to answer when asked what Trump hoped to accomplish during the meeting or if he would follow through with threats to cut off federal funding to New York City.

"I think it's very telling, but also speaks to the fact that President Donald Trump is willing to meet with anyone and talk to anyone, and to try to do what's right on behalf of the American people," Leavitt said. "Whether they live in blue states, or red states, or blue cities, in a city that's becoming much more left than this president ever anticipated in his many years living in New York himself."

Mamdani brushed off concerns about taunts, threats or insults directed at him by the president.

He said he would talk about ways where the two could find agreement, or at least an understanding, whether it be on reducing the cost of living with a goal of achieving economic security for more city residents or on an approach to public safety.

"I have many disagreements with the president, and I believe that we should be relentless and pursue all avenues and all meetings that could make our city affordable for every single New Yorker," Mamdani said at the news conference. "I intend to make it clear to President Donald Trump that I will work with him on any agenda that benefits New Yorkers. If an agenda hurts New Yorkers, I will also be the first to say so."

Gov. Kathy Hochul, speaking in Huntington on Thursday, said she was optimistic something constructive could come out of the meeting and that kick-starting infrastructure improvements would be a good placed to start.

"Let's work on our subway system, money that we need here in the city," Hochul said.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.