K&C: Mamdani Says Trump Still a Fascist After Meeting
K&C: After Oval Office Meeting, Mamdani Says Trump Still a Fascist
Just a few days after a seemingly warm exchange with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said Sunday that his view of Trump hasn’t changed: he still sees him as a fascist and a danger to American democracy.
During an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press, Mamdani was asked whether he still believed Trump fit that label. Mamdani responded, “And that’s something that I’ve said in the past. I say it today.”
He noted that he valued the opportunity to speak directly with Trump, explaining that “we were not shy about the places of disagreement, about the politics that has brought us to this moment.”
Even with the cordial tone of their meeting, Mamdani reiterated that he still considers Trump a despot and a threat to democratic norms.
In discussing the Oval Office encounter, Mamdani emphasized the importance of honesty in political disagreements, saying, “Everything that I’ve said in the past, I continue to believe. And that’s the thing that I think is important in our politics, is that we don’t shy away from where we have disagreements, but we understand what it is that brings us to that table, because I’m not coming into the Oval Office to make a point or make a stand. I’m coming in there to deliver for New Yorkers.”
Mamdani also said he intentionally kept the meeting amicable to demonstrate that respectful engagement is possible even amid sharp political differences. He explained, “I thought again and again about what it would mean for New Yorkers if we could establish a productive relationship that would focus on the issues that those New Yorkers stay up late at night thinking about. Because so often in our politics we try and tell people what they should be worried about, what they should be concerned about.”
During their roughly 25-minute closed-door conversation on Friday, the two leaders appeared cooperative, even shaking hands at a subsequent press conference where both suggested they found considerable common ground.
The tone marked a sharp departure from months of mutual criticism. Trump had repeatedly threatened to cut federal funding from New York if Mamdani won the mayoral race and suggested deploying federal agents to combat crime in the city, while Mamdani had condemned the administration’s expanded immigration raids and rising deportations.
At Friday’s press conference, a reporter asked Mamdani whether he still viewed Trump as a fascist. Before he could answer, Trump jumped in jokingly, saying, “That’s OK, you can just say ‘Yes.’ It’s easier. It’s easier than explaining it.”
On Sunday, Mamdani described the meeting as “a productive one” focused on public safety and the city’s affordability crisis. He stopped short of confirming whether Trump agreed not to send federal forces into New York. However, on Saturday Trump suggested it was unlikely, saying that “other places need it more” when questioned on the matter.
Mamdani said he conveyed to the president that “what we wanted to do was to deliver public safety and affordability, and the NYPD would be the ones to do so.”
