President Donald Trump mentioned late Wednesday that the long-awaited assembly with New York Metropolis Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani would occur in Washington later this week, establishing an in-person conflict between the political polar opposites who for months have antagonized one another from afar.
The sit-down, which Trump mentioned on social media would happen Friday within the Oval Workplace, might probably signify a detente of kinds between the Republican president and Democratic rising star, as Trump has since Mamdani’s win moved towards acceptance of Mamdani’s central, profitable marketing campaign concern of affordability.
Calling Mamdani by his full title — and placing the mayor-elect’s center title of Kwame in citation marks — Trump posted Wednesday night time that Mamdani had requested for the assembly, promising “Further details to follow!”
Saying it was “customary” for an incoming New York Metropolis mayor to satisfy with the president, spokesperson Dora Pekec mentioned Mamdani deliberate to debate with Trump “public safety, economic security and the affordability agenda that over one million New Yorkers voted for just two weeks ago.”
Trump for months has slammed Mamdani, falsely labeling him as a “communist” and predicting the break of his hometown if the democratic socialist was elected. He additionally threatened to deport Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and have become a naturalized American citizen in 2018, and to drag federal cash from the town.
However following the November election — by which Republicans misplaced badly in Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia — Trump has spoken extra about affordability, which had been a focus throughout Democrats’ campaigns, together with Mamdani’s, even declaring Friday in a social media submit that the GOP is the “Party of Affordability!” This comes because the president and his fellow Republicans insist the economic system has by no means been stronger.
Trump advised reporters Sunday night time that he deliberate to satisfy with Mamdani, saying ” we’ll work one thing out.” On Monday, Mamdani — who formally takes workplace in January — mentioned that he hoped to satisfy Trump, confirming that his crew had reached out to the White Home to arrange a potential sit-down.
Throughout his victory speech earlier this month, Mamdani, a 34-year-old who in only a few brief months rose from obscure state lawmaker representing Queens to mayor-elect of the nation’s largest metropolis, mentioned he wished New York to point out the nation how one can defeat the president.
He’s additionally talked about “Trump-proofing” New York as soon as he takes workplace in January whereas additionally promising to work with anybody, together with the president, if it benefited New Yorkers.
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Related Press author Michael R. Sisak in New York Metropolis contributed to this report.
