New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani this weekend stuck to his previous description of President Donald Trump as a "fascist," but remained confident their White House meeting last week will lead to a "productive relationship."
In an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press" that was televised Sunday, Mamdani said "that's something that I've said in the past. I say it today," when asked by host Kristen Welker whether he considered Trump a "fascist."
"And I think what I appreciated about the conversation that I had with the president was that we were not shy about the places of disagreement, about the politics that has brought us to this moment," Mamdani said.
Also on Sunday, Mamdani said at a news conference outside Union Grove Missionary Baptist Church in the Bronx that his responsibility is "to work with anyone who can help to alleviate the affordability crisis and deliver dignity to each and every person that calls the city home."
He added: "And, I think it is critically important to both be honest about our own opinions, our own assessments, and be committed to working with anyone who could further them."
Mamdani, a democratic socialist, and Trump, a Republican, had a cordial meeting at the Oval Office, one in which affordability and cost of living issues were central themes, Mamdani said. However, the two had previously taken issue with one another, with the president calling Mamdani a "100% Communist Lunatic" on social media and Mamdani saying Trump behaved as a despot.
Despite their differences, Mamdani on Sunday in the Bronx sounded hopeful of a relationship with the president that is "focused on the work itself." The mayor-elect said he also discussed issues such as housing, public transit and child care with the president.
"And I think at the heart of it, again and again, came back to the recognition that what New Yorkers are desperate for, no matter at what level of politics they're thinking about, is some relief from a cost of living crisis," Mamdani said at the news conference.
Asked how long the seemingly warm relationship with the president could last, Mamdani said: "I can only take things one meeting at a time, one conversation at a time."
On the issue of immigration, Mamdani struck a decidedly different tone than the White House. He said that he wants to follow New York's "sanctuary city" policies, including stipulations that allow for a person to be transferred to United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement only if they entered the country illegally and were convicted of certain serious crimes.
The issue, he said, arises when federal immigration officials detain migrants arriving for an appearance at an immigration court hearing or also for "the crime of simply being present in New York City."
Trump, who has pushed for stronger immigration enforcement, has stood against "sanctuary" jurisdictions, saying in a statement shared on the White House website: "They protect the Criminals, not the Victims. They are disgracing our Country, and are being mocked all over the World."
Under the administration's mass deportation agenda, immigrants have been arrested while attending court hearings in New York. There have also been well-publicized immigration crackdowns in Chicago, Los Angeles, and recently, Charlotte, North Carolina.