Donald Trump Says Zohran Mamdani Has 'Great Potential' to Be a 'Great Mayor' for NYC Despite Previously Calling Him a 'Communist Lunatic'

President Donald Trump praised New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday, September 21, saying the newly elected mayor has "great potential" to lead the city effectively.

The comments were made during a joint press conference outside Gracie Mansion, marking the first time a sitting president had visited the NYC mayoral residence in decades. Trump was in town ahead of the United Nations General Assembly.

When reporters asked about Mamdani — a prominent democratic socialist and the polar opposite of Trump’s far-right stance — the POTUS offered a surprisingly cordial take.

"No, I certainly hope he will be a great mayor. You have to understand — I want what's good for New York. I want what's good for the country. So, if I had a choice of having him be a bad mayor or a horrible mayor, I don't want that. I want him to be a great mayor, and he's certainly got potential and great potential,” Trump gushed.

The two leaders met face-to-face amid a media boycott against the POTUS, who had banned outlets he has deemed “fake news” from the White House, to discuss crucial municipal issues, including housing affordability, lowering the cost of living, public safety, and a proposed federal funding partnership for the Sunnyside Yards development project in Trump’s native Queens.

Despite their big ideological differences on policy matters like immigration enforcement and taxation, both signaled a mutual willingness to cooperate.

Mayor Mamdani emphasized he would "work with anyone, no matter what party they belong to" if it meant relieving financial pressures for working-class New Yorkers.

This Gracie Mansion meeting was their third face-to-face discussion. It followed a highly publicized transition meeting in the Oval Office shortly after Mamdani's election, where both Queens natives originally began searching for policy common ground.

Because Trump famously called Mamdani a "communist lunatic" during the mayoral campaign, with Mamdani calling him a "fascist," their sudden warm dynamic and frequent meetings have generated widespread commentary, jokes and analysis regarding Trump being "charmed" by the democratic socialist mayor.

Outlets like The New York Post described the Gracie Mansion meeting as "continuing the streak of love fests for the political odd couple."

They also noted that Mamdani has quickly become the president's "favorite socialist text buddy."

USA Today White House correspondent Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy reported on the dynamic with the headline, "‘I want him to be a great mayor’: Mamdani-Trump bromance continues.”

In April, Mamdani told reporters on CBS Mornings that he and Trump "are in touch" and that their shared Queens upbringing gives them a mutual language: "There is one place of agreement that we have, which is that we both love New York City... We're both from the same city."