Mamdani still calls Trump a fascist but share ‘love of New York’

NEW YORK, United States (MNTV) – New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani says he has a productive working relationship with President Donald Trump — even though he still considers the president a fascist.

“The president and I disagree on many things in public and in private,” Mamdani told Politico in a wide-ranging interview reflecting on his first 100 days in office.

“We do, however, agree on one thing, which is a love for New York City. And that love allows for our relationship to be a productive one, and allows for the city to know that it will not simply be affected by threats.”

Asked whether that productive relationship persists even though he views Trump as a fascist, Mamdani replied simply: “Yes.”

The unlikely dynamic began in November, before Mamdani took office, when he traveled to Washington for a surprisingly warm Oval Office meeting with the same leader he had taunted during his mayoral campaign.

There, Trump grew animated when Mamdani raised reforming the city’s complex zoning rules that drive up the cost and timeline of real estate development. Standing before the cameras after their private conversation, when a reporter asked Mamdani if he considered Trump a fascist, Trump interceded: “That’s ok. You can just say yes. That’s easier.” Mamdani said yes.

In February, Mamdani returned to pitch Trump on building over a massive rail yard in Queens to create more than 10,000 units of housing — the biggest potential development in New York City since the 1970s.

He told Politico he drew on the historical partnership between Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia and President Franklin D. Roosevelt as a model for what federal-city cooperation could achieve. “So much of what LaGuardia was able to accomplish was as a result of his relationship with the federal government,” Mamdani said.

During a Thursday interview with NY1, the mayor hinted at a future meeting on his own turf. “I’ve met with the president at the White House. I’m sure at some point the president will come to New York City and that we will meet here,” he said.