Even after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called for ICE to be abolished, Donald Trump continues to gush over him.
In the wake of Trump’s immigration crackdown, the president continues to gush about Mamdani’s “tremendous assets,” saying they get on “very well.’ Moreover, he continues to shower the NYC Mayor with compliments, as Mamdani pushes for ICE to be abolished after the deaths of two US citizens in separate fatal shootings by federal agents.
ICE murdered Renée Good in broad daylight. Less than 3 weeks later, they killed Alex Pretti, shooting him 10 times. Every day, we watch as people are ripped from their cars, their homes, their lives.
We can’t allow ourselves to look away from this cruelty. Abolish ICE. pic.twitter.com/wtg0eAZitc
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) January 26, 2026
Speaking on right-wing radio host Sid Rosenberg’s morning show on Tuesday, Donald Trump did acknowledge that he and Mamdani do have some differences, but that they get on “very well.”
“I think he’s got a really good personality,” Trump said. “I think he’s got tremendous assets, but he’s got some things … policy, concepts, that really haven’t worked over the last 10,000 years.”
Meanwhile, Mamdani told ABC News This Week that federal immigration agents are “terrorizing” people across America, while he discussed the fatal shooting of mother-of-three Renee Good in Minneapolis in an interview recorded the day before a Border Patrol agent shot and killed VA ICU nurse, Alex Pretti in the same city.
“These ICE raids − they are cruel, they are inhumane,” Mamdani said, while he vowed to do all in his power to ensure that the Trump administration cannot carry out similar immigration operations in New York City.
Mamdani further revealed that he has been texting with Trump since his White House meeting with the president in November, 2025. “He gave me his number. I’ll say that the conversations between the president and I are private, and I’ll keep them there. But they are always back to the question of New Yorkers,” he said.
Ironically, throughout Mamdani’s race to become New York City’s next mayor, he went through an onslaught of criticism from the president. However, when the two men came face-to-face in the White House, the US was left shocked after they appeared to become allies.
Mamdani and Trump had a mostly friendly meeting that saw them speaking repeatedly of their shared goals to help Trump’s hometown, rather than their differences. While the president had previously called Mamdani a “100 percent Communist Lunatic,” and a “total nut job,” then openly spoke about how impressed he was with the man who dubbed the Trump administration “authoritarian.”
“He called your administration evil after [Renee Good] was murdered, Mr. President,” Rosenberg told Trump. “He actually came out and said he wants to abolish ICE on The View and in a tweet yesterday. So I want to give the guy a chance, because you are, but when people badmouth Trump, I get very upset.”
“You know, it’s politics,” Trump replied. “It’s a nasty world. It’s a nasty profession, if you want to know the truth, it really is. But I got along very well with him.”
Speaking of the current situation in Minneapolis, Zohran Mamdani said, “These ICE raids − they are cruel, they are inhumane,” while he vowed to do all in his power to ensure the Trump administration cannot run similar ICE operations in New York City.
“I think he is going to surprise some conservative people, actually,” Trump said of the democratic socialist as Mamdani stood next to him in the Oval Office. “We’re going to be helping him, to make everybody’s dream come true, having a strong and very safe New York,” Trump added.
Meanwhile, Trump sometimes seems protective of Mamdani, including jumping in on his behalf on various points. When reporters asked the New York mayor to clarify his past statements, indicating that he thought Trump was acting like a fascist, adding, “I’ve been called much worse than a despot.”
At the White House meeting, when a reporter asked Mamdani if he still stood by his comments that Trump is a fascist, Trump interjected before Mamdani could fully answer.
“That’s OK. You can just say yes. OK?” Trump said. “It’s easier. It’s easier than explaining it. I don’t mind.”
Moreover, Trump interjected again when a reporter asked Mamdani why he flew to Washington DC instead of taking transportation that used less fossil fuels, saying, “I’ll stick up for you.”
