For all the hype of a conflict, President Trump and New York City's next mayor, Zohran Mamdani, had a surprising bond when they met Friday in the Oval Office: populist outsiders, lovers of the Big Apple, and two politicians who each want what the other has.
- Mamdani, facing a city budget deficit, needs federal money and doesn't want Trump to send National Guard troops into New York City.
- Trump, reeling from bad polling on the economy, sought to co-opt some of the shine from the charismatic Mamdani's message on affordability.
Why it matters: For a few minutes, Mamdani — whom Trump had called a communist — and Trump, whom Mamdani had called a fascist, gave a glimpse of how they might find common ground by putting aside vast partisan differences and working together, or at least appearing to.
