JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
President Trump met with the New York City mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani, in a much-anticipated meeting between the president of the United States and the incoming mayor of the biggest city in the country. It was stunning in how gracious it seemed to be.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We agree on a lot more than I would have thought.
SUMMERS: Let's just remember that Trump has called Mamdani his little communist mayor, and Mamdani has described himself as Donald Trump's worst nightmare. NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez joins us now. Hi there.
FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: Hey, Juana.
SUMMERS: So Franco, was this meeting as dramatic as some people expected it to be considering how heated things have been between these guys?
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, I'd say no, obviously, but also kind of yes. I mean, there were no rhetorical bombs thrown. Trump didn't double down on the name-calling. But it was kind of dramatic in how cordial it was. I mean, they spoke of their shared interests and plans to partner on things like lowering the cost of housing and groceries and energy.
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TRUMP: I expect to be helping him, not hurting him - a big help, because I want New York City to be great. Look, I love New York City. It's where I come from.
ORDOÑEZ: Mamdani returned the affection. I mean, it was very clear, though, that he was not there to ruffle any feathers.
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ZOHRAN MAMDANI: I appreciated the meeting with the president, and as he said, it was a productive meeting focused on a place of shared admiration and love, which is New York City and the need to deliver affordability to New Yorkers.
SUMMERS: I mean, Franco, just listening to this, the warmth between them feels a little extraordinary to me.
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah, I mean, to me too. I mean, they were all smiles. Trump patted Mamdani on the arm. Even at one potentially tense moment, when a reporter asked Mamdani if he still thought Trump was a fascist, before he could answer, Trump actually jumped in, kind of chuckled and told Mamdani that it was okay to just say yes, that it was easier.
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TRUMP: I've been called much worse than a despot, so it's not that insulting. But maybe - I think he'll change his mind after we get to working together. Yes, please.
ORDOÑEZ: But, you know, let's also be clear that this was one meeting. And Trump can be very charming in person, but things can go very sideways and they can go sideways very quickly. And they do really have some big differences. Trump was asked about some of those on immigration and enforcement and crime. And Trump acknowledged that those are differences, while also saying that he expected Mamdani would be a good mayor and that he's likely to surprise some conservatives.
SUMMERS: Interesting. I wonder, why is there so much interest in playing nice in this moment? Like, what's really at stake here?
ORDOÑEZ: Well, I mean, there's a lot riding on this relationship. I mean, Trump has vowed to pull federal funding from New York City. He's threatened to deploy the National Guard to the city. And as we know, Trump has not shied away from using the powers of the federal government to attack his political opponents. And Mamdani really can't afford that. He can't have Trump having a personal vendetta against New York City.
SUMMERS: And what about Trump? Like, what are the politics for him in this situation?
ORDOÑEZ: Well, for Trump, he's been struggling in the polls, especially on the economy, and he's been trying to get in on Mamdani's affordability message, which he ran so successfully. Now, Trump won last year on a similar economic message, but he's now been struggling, especially with inflation. So you could make the argument that Trump's kind of trying to ride Mamdani's coattails here on this issue.
I mean, interestingly, though, Juana, this new friendliness could also complicate the politics for both sides. I mean, until today, Trump has used Mamdani as a foil, looking to paint him as kind of the face of the Democratic Party, a party full of democratic socialists, he says. And that was likely going to be the key talking point for the midterms. So all this showing of praise really complicates that message, and it raises some serious political challenges for Republicans as they look to next year.
SUMMERS: NPR's Franco Ordoñez at the White House. Thank you so much.
ORDOÑEZ: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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