‘Great meeting’: Key takeaways from Trump-Mamdani White House meeting

United States President Donald Trump and New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani held amazingly cordial talks successful the White House connected Friday, defying expectations of a perchance tense gathering betwixt the Republican billionaire and the self-proclaimed Democratic socialist.

The warmth displayed came successful stark opposition to the barbs the brace person exchanged successful caller months. Trump has caricatured Mamdani arsenic an anti-Semitic communist, adjacent threatening to portion him of his US citizenship, portion Mamdani called Trump a “despot” successful his predetermination triumph code conscionable weeks ago.

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But the brace appeared to enactment these seemingly irrevocable differences speech – for 1 time astatine slightest – with Trump describing the “great meeting” arsenic “really productive” erstwhile talking to reporters successful the Oval Office with Mamdani lasting by his side.

With galore near unsure of what to marque of the bizarrely chummy gathering betwixt the governmental polar opposites, present are a fewer cardinal takeaways:

Finding communal ground

Trump and Mamdani exuded friendliness successful their archetypal get-together since the 34-year-old bushed Democratic constitution enactment figures earlier this month, notably erstwhile New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, to go New York City’s mayor-elect.

Mamdani said up of his gathering with Trump that helium was consenting to “meet with anyone” to propulsion guardant his affordability docket for the US’s largest city, saying that helium and Trump shared immoderate communal crushed successful that they ran campaigns focused connected the cost-of-living crisis.

“I volition talk to everyone truthful agelong arsenic it could basal to payment an economical docket for New Yorkers. And that’s wherever I volition ever marque the case,” helium said.

The attack appears to person paid off, with Trump saying helium and Mamdani “agree connected a batch much than I would person thought”, arsenic helium predicted occurrence for his tenure starring New York.

“Some of his ideas are the aforesaid ideas I have,” said Trump, adding that immoderate of his supporters besides voted for Mamdani.

“I deliberation this politician tin bash immoderate things that are going to beryllium truly great,” helium added.

In 1 striking moment, Trump adjacent gave Mamdani an casual retired erstwhile the mayor-elect was asked by a newsman if helium stood by his erstwhile comments describing the president arsenic a “despot” and “fascist”.

“That’s OK, you tin conscionable accidental ‘yes’,” Trump interjected. “It’s easier than explaining it.”

While striking a respectful code erstwhile talking astir Trump, Mamdani appeared to gully the enactment astatine actively praising him, with the compliments mostly flowing 1 way.

Breaking from White House and GOP messaging

If the program was to pivot distant from boogeyman characterisations of Mamdani, cardinal members of Trump’s medication and the Republican enactment weren’t fixed the message.

A time earlier the meeting, White House property caput Karoline Leavitt said that it “speaks volumes” that a “communist” was visiting the White House.

“That’s who the Democratic Party elected arsenic the politician of the largest metropolis successful the country,” she said.

Vice President JD Vance besides joked connected Thursday that helium mightiness “have a tummy bug” to debar gathering Mamdani, who is acceptable to instrumentality bureau connected the archetypal time of 2026.

Republican Senator Rick Scott besides derided Mamdani arsenic a “literal communist” connected Friday morning, arsenic helium predicted Trump would “school” him astatine the White House aboriginal that day.

Trump, however, stayed distant from immoderate assertive speech towards Mamdani, adjacent going arsenic acold arsenic to contradict members of his ain enactment erstwhile helium told reporters that helium did not hold with Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik’s characterisation of Mamdani arsenic a “jihadist”.

Following Trump’s comments, Stefanik, a New York Republican gubernatorial candidate, said, “We’ll person to hold to disagree connected this one.”

“If helium walks similar a jihadist, If helium talks similar a jihadist, If helium campaigns similar a jihadist, If helium supports jihadists, He’s a jihadist,” she wrote connected X.

We each privation NYC to succeed.

But we’ll person to hold to disagree connected this one.

If helium walks similar a jihadist
If helium talks similar a jihadist
If helium campaigns similar a jihadist
If helium supports jihadists,

He’s a jihadist.

And he’s @KathyHochul’s jihadist. pic.twitter.com/JZaM29d82R

— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) November 21, 2025

Why Trump took a much conciliatory attack successful this meeting, starkly breaking from erstwhile Republican messaging connected Mamdani, is intolerable to tell.

But the gathering and the speech of affordability arsenic a shared concern occurred astatine a clip erstwhile Trump faces increasing scrutiny implicit rising prices pursuing months of tariffs.

Major schisms person appeared successful the Republican enactment and the Trump MAGA question successful caller days and weeks – notably over the Epstein files scandal and implicit US enactment for Israel. On Friday, Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, for agelong 1 of Trump’s staunchest supporters, and a champion of the MAGA movement, said she would resign from the House of Representatives successful January, aft a nationalist clash with the US president.

Sidestepping Israel

One taxable which which raised the spectre of creating a much awkward, confrontational ambiance betwixt Trump and Mamdani was Israel’s genocidal warfare successful Gaza.

Asked by a newsman astir erstwhile comments helium had made astir the US government’s complicity successful Israel’s assault, including the existent administration, Mamdani didn’t shy distant from reiterating this disapproval – contempt an awkward-looking Trump sitting silently adjacent to him.

“I person spoken astir the Israeli authorities committing genocide [in Gaza] and I’ve spoken astir our authorities backing it,” helium said. It is the archetypal known juncture that Israel has been accused of genocide successful Gaza wrong the walls of the White House, adjacent if from an hostile of the existent administration.

Mamdani, however, rapidly pivoted backmost to his halfway connection of the cost-of-living situation successful New York.

“I shared with the president successful our gathering astir the concerns that galore New Yorkers person of wanting their taxation dollars to spell towards the payment of New Yorkers and their quality to spend basal dignity,” helium said.

“I besides judge that we person to travel done connected planetary quality rights, and I cognize that inactive contiguous those are being violated,” Mamdani added, without stating Gaza.