New York's incoming mayor, Zohran Mamdani, has openly called President Donald Trump a 'fascist' and a 'despot', yet he maintains they can, and must, work together to tackle a crisis that transcends politics: the city's rising cost of living. In a candid interview on NBC's Meet the Press, following a White House meeting on 21 November 2025, Mamdani reiterated his sharp criticism of Mr Trump while stressing pragmatism on the affordability agenda.
He argued that New Yorkers' daily struggles with housing, childcare, and grocery costs require results, not theatre, and that federal cooperation will be essential to deliver them. The apparent cordiality in the Oval Office, complete with a moment when Trump joked, 'it's OK, you can just say yes' when asked whether he was a fascist, has produced an uneasy détente that observers say is political theatre with policy implications.
