US President Donald Trump said he will meet New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani at the White House on Friday in what would be the first meeting of the Republican leader with the self-described democratic socialist who won this month's mayoral election.
Mamdani and Trump have been critical of each other, with Trump having backed Mamdani's opponent, Andrew Cuomo.
The mayor-elect, for his part, has been critical of the Trump administration's policies, including its crackdown on immigration and US political and military support for Israel's Gaza campaign.
Mamdani told reporters earlier this week that his team had reached out to the White House to arrange a meeting.
"As is customary for an incoming mayoral administration, the mayor-elect plans to meet with the President in Washington to discuss public safety, economic security and the affordability agenda that over one million New Yorkers voted for just two weeks ago," Mamdani's spokesperson Dora Pekec said Wednesday.
During the mayoral election campaign, Trump threatened to withhold billions of dollars in federal funding from the city if Mamdani won.
The US federal government is providing $7.4 billion to New York City in fiscal year 2026, or about 6.4 percent of the city's total spending, according to a New York State Comptroller report.
Since Mamdani's rise, Trump has incorrectly labelled him as a"communist".
Mamdani made countering the 79-year-old president's actions in the city, especially on immigration, a centrepiece of his successful campaign.
While Trump frequently touts the record-breaking gains on Wall Street during his presidency, Mamdani's view on the economy extends beyond the bullish financial markets in downtown Manhattan to a worsening affordability crisis facing a city of more than 8 million people.
As the first mayoral candidate to surpass the one-million-vote mark in New York since 1969, Mamdani campaigned on pledges of affordable housing and childcare, as well as free rides on city buses and a pilot programme of five city-run grocery stores.
The virulently anti-immigrant Trump has derided Mamdani's South Asian name and threatened to cut federal funding for New York upon the Muslim's election to run America's largest city.
"Mandami, whatever the hell his name is," Trump said recently – deliberately mispronouncing the Uganda-born politician's surname.
The young mayor-elect has not backed down from Trump, calling out the 79-year-old Republican during his victory rally earlier this month.
"Donald Trump, since I know you're watching, I have four words for you – turn the volume up!" he said to his cheering supporters.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later confirmed the president had indeed watched Mamdani speak.
Mamdani will be sworn in as mayor on January 1.
