NYC Mayor Mamdani says he and President Trump text, talk on phone

The IRL relationship that took the political world by surprise is still going strong.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and President Donald Trump stay in regular contact by text and phone, a relationship that has endured since their Oval Office meeting, Mamdani said. 

"There are times when the president reaches out; there are times when I reach out to the president," Mamdani said Wednesday at an unrelated event in Queens.  

"I will continue to make the case for New York City, and I think that’s been at the heart of every conversation that I’ve had with the president whether it’s in the Oval Office or through the handful of texts and calls that we’ve exchanged. It’s always about making the case for this city," Mamdani said.

A reply to a text message from Newsday to a White House spokesperson directed inquiries to the main press email box, which didn't reply.

Mamdani and Trump, ideological opposites, have had an unexpectedly cordial relationship since meeting at the White House in November following Mamdani's mayoral victory. After that meeting, the two showered each other with praise, promised to work together to make the country and city more affordable, and cut red tape, Trump even jokingly waved away Mamdani's prior insults. 

Since then, the two have been chatty. For example, Mamdani said, he registered with Trump opposition to the seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, describing his position as "being opposed to a pursuit of regime change" and a violation of federal and international law. 

Trump became an avid texter starting in early 2023, at age 76, after long resisting the medium, according to a New York Times report that year. 

On Wednesday, Mamdani declined to provide specifics about how he and Trump became phone buddies or the extent of their communications protocols, but Mamdani said he wouldn't shy away from standing up for New Yorkers "whether in public or in private."

"This is in line with what I've said over the course of the campaign, as I ran to become the mayor, is that wherever there is a possibility to advance an agenda that would benefit New Yorkers, I would take that opportunity to speak directly to the president, and wherever there is disagreement, I will also be frank and honest about that disagreement."  

On Tuesday, Mamdani said, he disagreed with one of Trump's latest announcements — his latest threat to pull funding from sanctuary cities.

"I reached out to President Trump," Mamdani said. "We haven’t yet connected."

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.