“He’s far worse than a socialist,” said President Donald Trump in reference to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. When asked if he believed Trump was a fascist, Mamdani responded with “yes.” Mamdani, a democratic socialist, promotes a more affordable city with better amenities, such as free buses, cheaper grocery stores, and stable rent. Meanwhile, our nation’s president, Donald Trump, promotes landlords, tariffs, and strangely, Zohran Mamdani.

On November 21, 2025, Mamdani and Trump met in the White House to find common ground with each other, and peacefully find ways to improve New York City. Before the meeting, there were many instances where they sharply criticized each other. When Trump decided to tear down the East Wing of the White House, Mamdani thought that the money could have been spent better helping New Yorkers. “… at the same time as Donald Trump is spending 300 million dollars to remodel a ballroom … These are the political choices we are seeing in [his] office,” said Mamdani. Mamdani implies that he is disgusted and finds Trump’s decision to tear down parts of the White House just to build a ballroom a distraction from improving our country. Throughout Mamdani’s campaign, Trump stated many times that he thought Mamdani was unfit to be mayor. He even endorsed Andrew Cuomo, Mamdani’s main competitor. The day after Mamdani won the mayoral election in early November, Trump remarked that “[he is] not sure that it is a good day for anybody,” implying that Mamdani would be a much worse mayor than Andrew Cuomo.

The meeting wasn’t open to the press, so we don’t know what happened behind closed doors, but from interviews after their meeting, we know that the script has flipped. Instead of quarreling and name-calling,Trump surprisingly complimented Mamdani’s affordability plans and all around praised the Mayor. Even more shocking, Trump has seemingly become okay with Mamdani’s reference to him as a fascist. “That’s okay, you can just say yes,” Trump said, after Mamdani was asked if he still felt Trump was a fascist.

But what prompted this change in attitude? “[Trump] likes to be around people who are successful,” says Andrew Siff, a reporter for WNBC. Siff explained that Trump wanted to keep the meeting positive, and Mamdani didn’t want to commit to sucking up to Trump, but he did want to seem respectful. Siff was called to the White House without a moment’s notice right before they met, interviewing Mamdani before the mayor-elect met with Trump. As for the future of their relationship, it’s not expected to remain so formal and peaceful. Already, Mamdani has criticized Trump’s decision to invade and capture the leader of Venezuela on January 3, especially after he brought him to New York City. Mamdani called Trump to express his disagreement, and although Trump didn’t lash out at Mamdani, this suggests a possible break in their relationship for the future. It is even possible that as you are reading this, they have already “broken up,” so to speak.

For students at HSMSE, this is very important. A good relationship between the president of the United States and the mayor of New York City can help get federal funding for the city. Have you ever thought about a run down subway station, a badly paved highway, or an underfunded school and wondered when it is getting paid for? Well, money from Trump and the federal government can transform the city as we know it, fixing broken sidewalks and salaries and adding new ideas, such as community centers, to the city. This relationship could make or break city improvements over the next 3 years.

With ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) detaining and deporting hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants in big cities, such as Minneapolis, and Los Angeles, Trump and Mamdani’s relationship matters more than ever. In Minneapolis, ICE agents shot and killed two civilians, Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Both incidents were unprovoked, as unarmed Renee Good was shot in her car, and Pretti, although carrying a firearm, never reached for it when he was brought to the ground. By keeping good terms with Trump, Mamdani, who supports abolishing ICE, referring to ICE as “cruel and inhumane” might be more able to keep ICE out of our city.

As a whole, we can see the confusing but amicable relationship between Trump and Mamdani. Now, we have to wait and see if this “alliance” holds, and what will become of it in the future. One of the main questions is if Trump will actually assist Mamdani to improve New York City. As a New Yorker himself, Trump may want to improve the city, but his relationship with Mamdani is crucial for them to achieve the levels of improvement this city needs.