Trump praises Mamdani after White House meeting: “I want him to do a great job”

What to know about the Trump-Mamdani meeting:

• President Trump and incoming New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani seemed to put aside their differences in a remarkable scene at the White House on Friday, saying they looked forward to working together after months of bruising public criticism.
• Speaking to reporters after their first meeting in the Oval Office, both men said they had a productive conversation that mostly focused on improving New York. “The better he does, the happier I am,” the president said. Mamdani, who takes office on Jan. 1, said he is “really looking forward to delivering for New Yorkers in partnership with the president on the affordability agenda.”
• In a particularly notable moment, the president said that “some of his ideas are really the same ideas that I have.” At another point, he added that “we agree on a lot more than I would have thought. I want him to do a great job, and we’ll help him do a great job.”
• The tone was in stark contrast to months of public hostility between the two. Mr. Trump, a native New Yorker, strongly opposed Mamdani during the mayoral campaign, even threatening to arrest and deport him. Mamdani has accused the president of acting like a “despot.” Mr. Trump has repeatedly called the mayor-elect a “communist.”
• But the two were exceedingly conciliatory in the Oval Office, batting away questions about their previous critiques. “I know there might be differences about ideology, but the place of agreement is the work that needs to be done to make New York City affordable, and that’s what I look forward to,” Mamdani said.