Zohran Mamdani was grilled over his past rhetoric during a tense Oval Office showdown where President Donald Trump and the New York City mayor-elect sparred over past insults while trying to play nice for the cameras.
In a brief but charged media event on Friday, the two leaders met to discuss critical city issues like housing and public safety.
However, it was soon derailed by questions about Mamdani’s earlier harsh words labeling Trump as a “fascist” and his policies as “authoritarian,” Fox News reported.
The exchange kicked off when Fox News’s Jacqui Heinrich pressed Mamdani on whether he still views Trump as a “fascist.”
It’s a term he’s used before to describe the president’s agenda.
Mamdani hesitated, clearly weighing his words, but Trump couldn’t resist cutting in with a smirk and a quip:
“That’s OK. You can just say yes,” Trump said, adding a light jab with:
“It’s easier than explaining it. I don’t mind.”
WATCH:
That little zinger landed like a polite grenade, exposing the awkward dance between Mamdani’s progressive ideals and the pragmatic need to work with a White House he’s openly criticized.
Instead of doubling down, Mamdani sidestepped, focusing on collaboration “where we agree” to serve the city’s 8.5 million residents, a diplomatic pivot that felt more like a dodge than a stand.
The 10-minute meeting wasn’t just about verbal sparring; it zeroed in on real concerns like affordability, with Mamdani highlighting a “cost-of-living crisis that threatens to push families out of the city.”
Trump, ever the dealmaker, pointed to dropping energy prices and urged utilities like Con Edison to cut rates, showing a practical side that contrasts with the usual partisan gridlock.
Both men signaled a willingness to cooperate, with Trump emphasizing a shared goal to make New York safer by targeting “very bad people” and restoring the city’s vibrancy, a nod to a nostalgia many conservatives quietly cheer.
On public safety, Mamdani outlined a balanced approach, committing to maintain around 35,000 NYPD officers while redirecting non-urgent calls to mental health responders, a policy that might raise eyebrows among law-and-order advocates.
Trump kept it broad, aligning with Mamdani on wanting the city to “thrive again,” though one wonders if their definitions of “thrive” match up beyond the soundbites.
Elsewhere in the spray, Heinrich shifted gears to foreign policy, grilling Trump on his Ukraine peace plan and what happens if President Zelensky balks at it.
Trump bluntly replied that Ukraine would “have to like it or keep fighting.”
The president’s stance on U.S. support, hinging on “securing an agreement,” and his claim that casualty numbers are “far higher” than reported, underscores a hardline approach that resonates with those tired of endless overseas entanglements.
On the domestic front, this Oval Office moment raises bigger questions about how Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, will navigate governing a diverse metropolis while cozying up to an administration many of his supporters likely view with suspicion.
With Trump joking about the packed press room drawing “more reporters than usual” and both leaders open to future talks, it’s clear this uneasy alliance is just getting started.
Let’s hope it delivers for New Yorkers beyond the witty one-liners.
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