White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt broke her silence on New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. Leavitt was asked about Mamdani’s ‘fascist’ label for Donald Trump, and she replied, “I think talk is cheap… and I think the President is going to judge Mamdani by his actions that he takes in New York.”
Karoline Leavitt went on to describe the Trump-Mamdani meeting as “positive” and continued, “The meeting was positive as you heard from the President last week and I think the fact that the President is willing to meet with somebody who said those types of things about him shows that he really is interested in being a President for all Americans regardless of where they live or who their leader is.”
In her response to the reporter, Karoline Leavitt spoke about Trump’s long association with New York and said, “He wants what’s best for New York. He loves New York City. He helped build the skyline. He spent his whole life there and so he really wants to see New York do well. So, that’s how that meeting played last week.”
.@PressSec on NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani: “Talk is cheap… The fact that @POTUS is willing to meet with somebody who said those types of things about him shows that he really is interested in being a President for ALL Americans.” pic.twitter.com/uA6pDjde36
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 24, 2025
During their Oval Office meeting last week, Mamdani was asked by a reporter stationed there, “Just days ago, you referred to Trump as a ‘despot’ and accused him of having a fascist agenda. Are you planning to retract any of these remarks?”
During the meeting, Trump said that it was ok for Mamdani to refer to the President as a ‘despot.’ Mamdani straight up told the reporter, “We are both very clear on our positions and our views, and what I really appreciate about the president is our meeting focused not on places of disagreement but the shared purpose we have.” In addition to Mamdani’s answer, Trump responded, “I’ve been called much worse than a despot.
.@POTUS on Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani: “He’s got views that are a little out there, but who knows. We’re going to see what works.” pic.twitter.com/5qBVFKDLxm
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 21, 2025
After the meeting, both Trump and Mamdani seemed to have taken a U-turn from their original views about each other. The President claimed that the meeting actually “surprised” him. He wants to see no crime. He wants to see housing being built. He wants to see rents coming down. All things that I agree with,” Trump said.
He added, “I expect to be helping him, not hurting him — a big help, because I want New York City to be great. I think he wants to make it greater than ever before and if he can, we’ll be out there cheering. I’ll be cheering for him.”
Meanwhile, here’s what Mamdani said about Trump after the Oval Office meeting on Friday, “I appreciated the time with the president. I appreciated your conversation. We are very clear about our positions and our views, and what I really appreciate about the president is the meeting that we had focused not on places of disagreement, of which there are many, but instead focused on the shared purpose that we have in serving New Yorkers.”
Trump and Mamdani’s equation can be labeled as somewhat complicated. The two publicly challenged each other on several occasions. During his victory speech in New York earlier this month, Mamdani, openly challenging Trump, said, “Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: turn the volume up.”
Before the exchange of heated words, Trump claimed in an interaction with the media that he’s “much better-looking” than Mamdani. To which, the democratic socialist replied, “My focus is on the cost-of-living crisis, bro.”
