Nyc Mayor Zohran Mamdani Describes His Relationship With Trump As 'honest, Direct And Productive'

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani connected Wednesday called his narration pinch President Donald Trump “honest, nonstop and productive” successful an question and reply pinch NBC News’ “Meet nan Press,” 1 time earlier Trump said Mamdani is “destroying New York” by proposing a caller spot taxation connected able New Yorkers.

“He’s nan president of nan United States of America. I’m nan politician of New York City, and we cognize that truthful overmuch of what nan metropolis needs is besides limited connected a narration pinch nan national administration,” Mamdani said successful an question and reply marking his first 100 days successful agency that aired Sunday.

He added that he partially credits their at times chummy relationship to nan truth that “New York City holds a very typical spot for him arsenic good arsenic for me. We’re some from nan aforesaid city.”

“Our conversations are not conscionable of nan standard that is emblematic pinch nan president, but besides granular astir moreover nan things arsenic circumstantial arsenic zoning rule changes successful midtown Manhattan, and that, I think, speaks to nan truth that Donald Trump is not conscionable nan president of this country, he’s besides personification who’s been a New Yorker for his full life, and location is an finance successful this,” nan politician added.

Though nan 2 person worked together and met successful nan Oval Office at slightest twice since Mamdani was elected past November, nan politician declined to remark connected really often he speaks pinch Trump.

Still, nan politician was nan taxable of nan president’s ire this week erstwhile Trump criticized Mamdani and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s connection to institute a pied-a-terre taxation connected properties successful New York City worthy complete $5 cardinal whose owners do not chiefly reside there.

“Sadly, Mayor Mamdani is DESTROYING New York! It has nary chance! The United States of America should not lend to its failure. It will only get WORSE. The TAX, TAX, TAX Policies are SO WRONG. People are fleeing. They must alteration their ways, AND FAST. History has proven, THIS ‘STUFF’ JUST DOESN’T WORK,” Trump wrote successful a Truth Social post connected Thursday.

“The president and I some want this metropolis to succeed. This is really you do it,” Mamdani said Friday successful consequence to Trump’s post.

On Wednesday, Mamdani touted nan pied-a-terre tax, which he says would raise $500 cardinal for New York City to thief money immoderate of his cardinal priorities, for illustration expanding free kid attraction passim nan city.

Taxing nan rich | successful New York to salary for immoderate of his goals was a cardinal argumentation connection for Mamdani during his campaign.

“I ever said that I believed successful nan value of taxing nan rich. This is taxing nan rich,” nan politician told “Meet nan Press” moderator Kristen Welker.

“A pied-a-terre taxation has been thing that has agelong been fought for successful nan metropolis but hasn’t been imaginable to get complete nan decorativeness line. It’s been really breathtaking to activity pinch nan politician to triumph thing that galore thought would ne'er person a chance,” Mamdani added.

He besides said astir immoderate of nan different priorities that were cardinal to his run successful 2025, for illustration expanding free kid care, making nationalist buses free successful nan metropolis and opening government-run market stores.

Donald Trump and Zohran Mamdani successful nan Oval Office of nan White House past year. Though nan 2 person worked together and met successful nan Oval Office astatine slightest doubly since Mamdani was elected past November, nan politician declined to remark connected really often he speaks pinch Trump.Jim Watson / AFP - Getty Images

In March, Hochul and Mamdani launched a free kid attraction program for up to 2,000 2-year-olds successful New York City, pinch plans to proceed expanding nan programme complete nan adjacent respective years.

“On Day 8 [of nan term], we announced a $1.2 cardinal statement pinch Gov. Kathy Hochul to put our metropolis connected nan pathway to cosmopolitan kid care,” Mamdani said. “We are not only providing free kid attraction for each 3-year-old successful nan city, we’re now doing it for 2-year-olds arsenic well. By nan extremity of our first term, we will spot each azygous 2-year-old receiving free kid attraction crossed nan 5 boroughs of New York City.”

Last week, nan politician besides announced that his management would unfastened nan first city-run market store successful East Harlem, nan commencement of fulfilling a run committedness to unfastened astatine slightest 1 specified shop successful each of nan city’s 5 boroughs.

“We’ve ever said that we would person 1 city-run market shop successful each borough and they would supply cheaper groceries, and we’re going to do that by guaranteeing it done a handbasket of basal items, nan kinds of things that New Yorkers request from their market store, but they haven’t been capable to fund for,” Mamdani told “Meet nan Press.” “We’re talking astir breadstuff and eggs, nan staples that person been skyrocketing.”

The politician acknowledged that rising costs astatine nan market shop aren’t unsocial to nan 5 boroughs, “but they’ve been expanding astatine an moreover higher complaint successful New York City. Our extremity present is to present cheaper groceries to New Yorkers. That’s what we want nan result to be.”

Mamdani besides blamed nan warfare successful Iran for prices continuing to emergence successful New York City and elsewhere.

“While this warfare has exacerbated a cost-of-living crisis, that is simply a situation that existed from moreover earlier nan clip I was moving for mayor,” he said.

He called for group to reason nan warfare “on governmental grounds, connected civilized grounds, but moreover conscionable connected economical grounds.”

But nan politician said sometimes his friends narration pinch Trump tin beryllium helpful, for illustration erstwhile he told nan president astir a Columbia University student, Elmina Aghayeva, who had been detained by nan Department of Homeland Security successful February.

“Over nan people of nan meeting, I did mention that conscionable that morning, that ICE had detained a Columbia University student. I mentioned to him that this was portion of a larger inclination that we had seen of 5 individuals being detained successful aliases astir Columbia University. I gave him a database of those five,” Mamdani told Welker.

“Thirty minutes aft nan meeting, he called maine and said he had now made nan determination to merchandise her. And truthful I deliberation we spot successful those decisions nan worthy of a narration that is some honorable and direct,” he added.

One of nan different cardinal run promises Mamdani made past twelvemonth was to institute free buses successful nan city, a connection that has been stalled successful portion owed to nan city’s $5.4 cardinal fund deficit.

“We’re moving pinch Albany correct now, and we’re still assured that location is simply a portion of nan fund that could commencement that process of making buses free. We person 1 autobus way free successful New York City correct now. We’re excited astatine nan imaginable of building that retired earlier we present it for each autobus route,” nan politician told “Meet nan Press.”

Mamdani besides dismissed questions astir whether he’ll beryllium capable to fulfill his run promises.

“I’ve ever been hopeful of getting 2 terms, and I’ve ever said to New Yorkers that we would execute everything pinch nevertheless overmuch clip that we get,” nan politician said.

He besides fielded questions astir nan authorities of nan Democratic Party nationally, but said he’s much focused connected New York City and winning nan midterms than what is going connected pinch his statement nationally.

“Here successful 2026, I want to beryllium delivering for New Yorkers, and erstwhile it comes to nan nationalist level, I want to make judge that we triumph these midterms and really person a imagination that we’re fighting for, not conscionable 1 that we’re fighting against,” nan politician said.

“I deliberation that New Yorkers are tired of politicians pontificating astir different politicians,” he added. “What they want to spot are results, and that’s why my attraction has been much connected potholes than connected politics.”