New York, Nov 17. The newly elected mayor of New York, Democrat Zohran Mamdani, stated on Monday that his team has contacted the White House to arrange a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.
“My team has reached out to the White House to fulfill a commitment I made to New Yorkers during the campaign, which demonstrated my willingness to meet with anyone, as long as it is for the benefit of the eight and a half million people who consider this city their home,” Mamdani said at a press conference when asked about a possible meeting with Trump.
In turn, Trump had already indicated on Sunday that the Democrat wants to meet with him in Washington, which would occur after months of confrontation between the two politicians.
Mamdani, who won the mayoral election on November 4, also referred to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at today's press conference, which was affected by the U.S. government shutdown.
In this regard, he assured that despite Trump promising “cheaper food to reduce the cost of living,” his actions and those of his administration “are having the opposite effect” for New York City residents.
“I will defend before the president and before anyone who will listen that this is the kind of thing we need to change if we want to make it easier for New Yorkers and Americans to afford their daily needs,” he added.
Furthermore, he insisted that these policies “not only harm New Yorkers and the city, but they also contradict what the president claims to defend.”
If it takes place, this would be the first contact between the Republican leader and Mamdani, who identifies as a democratic socialist and whom Trump labels a “communist”.
