The President of the United States, Donald Trump, met on Friday at the White House with the elected mayor of New York, the democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, and in a gesture of goodwill after months of confrontations, the head of state said that "the better he does, the happier I will be." Standing in the Oval Office next to Trump, Mamdani said they had "a productive meeting" focused on the concerns of New Yorkers about the cost of living. "We just had a great meeting, a really good, very productive meeting," Trump said with Mamdani standing at his side, according to CNN and accessed by the Argentine News Agency. A native New Yorker, Trump emphasized shared priorities despite marked political differences. "One thing in common, we want our beloved city to do very well," said the president. Trump also offered a gesture of goodwill toward the incoming mayor and said he might even surprise conservatives. "We talked about the different ways in which people are being displaced," he said, referring to the flagship issues of his mayoral campaign. Prior to the meeting, Trump seemed to adopt a conciliatory tone, praising Mamdani's victory and predicting a "civil" meeting. While answering reporters' questions, Trump downplayed his previous threats to cut federal funding to the city. "I hope to help him, not hurt him," Trump said when asked if there was any policy that would lead him to cut federal funding, as he had said before. On the other hand, Trump said that he and Mamdani will resolve their differences regarding ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents in the cities. Mamdani has been a critic of ICE, telling CNN that he would not allow the New York Police Department to interact or cooperate with that agency in the enforcement of civil immigration law. Trump said that during their meeting, Mamdani spoke about how he "wants to have a safe New York." "So we're going to work together. The better he does, the happier I am. We're going to make sure that, yes, there are horrible people there, we want to get them out," added Trump. "I'll say there's no party difference. "I think, actually, he's going to surprise some conservatives, and also some very progressive people," he added. "I think he's different, and that can be in a very positive way, but I think he's different, you know, from your typical person who runs, wins, becomes mayor," Trump said. "He has an opportunity to do something really great for New York," the president added, saying the elected mayor will need help from the federal government to succeed. "And I congratulated him, and we talked about some things we're very much in agreement on, like housing and building housing, and food prices. "I think they're going to have, hopefully, a really great mayor," he said.
