New York mayor-elect reaffirms past criticisms of president after agreeing to work with him on cost-of-living concerns<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zohran Mamdani has reiterated his view that Donald Trump is a \u201cfascist\u201d and a \u201cdespot\u201d just days after the pair had a surprisingly cordial meeting at the White House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking to NBC\u2019s Meet the Press on Sunday, the New York<\/a> City mayor-elect was asked if he still considered Trump a threat to democracy. \u201cEverything that I\u2019ve said in the past I continue to believe,\u201d Mamdani replied. \u201cI think it is important in our politics that we don\u2019t shy away from where we have disagreements.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his victory speech<\/a> on 4 November, Mamdani said New York had demonstrated it could be the \u201clight\u201d in a \u201cmoment of political darkness\u201d, taking aim at the president. \u201cIf there is any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power,\u201d Mamdani said. \u201cSo, Donald Trump, since I know you\u2019re watching, I have four words for you: turn the volume up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Given the intense rhetoric Trump has used against Mamdani in recent months, including calling him a \u201ccommunist lunatic\u201d, the White House meeting<\/a> was highly anticipated and expected to be contentious. Instead, it produced warm words, with Trump even saying, \u201cI feel very confident that he can do a good job\u201d and adding, \u201cI think he\u2019s going to surprise some conservative people, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The pair agreed<\/a> to work together on housing, food prices and cost-of-living concerns, and bonded over a mutual love for New York. \u201cWe agreed a lot more than I would have thought,\u201d Trump said in the Oval Office, sometimes jumping in to shield Mamdani from aggressive questioning from the press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was a conversation where we spoke about the need to deliver on this agenda,\u201d Mamdani told NBC on Sunday, saying that he appreciated how the president took the time to tour him around the cabinet and point out the portraits of previous presidents. \u201cWe were not shy about the places of disagreement about the politics that has brought us to this moment and we also wanted to focus on what it could look like to deliver on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mamdani also addressed questions about his decision to retain police commissioner Jessica Tisch, initially hired by former mayor Eric Adams. \u201cShe has driven down crime across the five boroughs while starting to uproot corruption that was endemic in the top echelons of that department under Mayor Adams,\u201d Mamdani said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kevin Hasset, director of the National Economic Council, which works with the treasury secretary to push forward Trump\u2019s economic agenda, praised<\/a> the move on Sunday and said the White House was pleased with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are really reassured that [Mamdani has] kept the police commissioner. In previous administrations in New York, we have seen law and order really go south,\u201d Hassett told host Jake Tapper<\/a> on CNN\u2019s State of the Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo the mayor-elect and I agree on everything? No, we don\u2019t,\u201d wrote Tisch in an email to rank-and-file officers, according to the New York Times. She has supported Adams\u2019s plan to hire 5,000 more uniformed officers, whereas Mamdani has said he wants to keep the head count the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n