Mamdani tells NBC he still believes Trump is a 'fascist' after White House meeting
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani told NBC News' Kristen Welker that he still believes President Trump is a "fascist" after his meeting with the president at the White House.
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said Sunday he still believes President Donald Trump is a "fascist," following their high-profile meeting at the White House on Friday.
"That's something that I've said in the past, and I say it today," he told NBC host Kristen Welker on "Meet the Press."
Welker pressed the self-avowed democratic socialist on an incident from a media spray in the Oval Office during which Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich asked him whether he still believes President Trump is a "fascist."
TRUMP, MAMDANI SET TO FACE-OFF IN FIRST OVAL OFFICE MEETING — WHAT’S ON THE TABLE
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (L) in the Oval Office of the White House on Nov. 21 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
Mamdani began to answer, but before he could finish, Trump cut in, saying, "That’s OK," and patted Mamdani’s arm.
"You can just say yes. It’s easier than explaining it. I don’t mind," Trump added.
On Sunday, Welker also pressed Mamdani on whether he still believes the president is a "threat to democracy" or a "despot."
"Everything that I've said in the past, I continue to believe," Mamdani responded.
TRUMP PREDICTS 'CIVIL' MEETING WITH MAMDANI DESPITE PAST COMMENTS ABOUT EACH OTHER
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani speaks at his election night party in Brooklyn, New York, on Nov. 4. (Barry Williams/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
"And I think that's the thing that's 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 the table," he added.
Mamdani said he "appreciated" his conversation with Trump for being honest about areas of disagreement while open to focusing on the interests of New Yorkers and the affordability crisis.
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Trump and Mamdani met at the White House on Friday to discuss pressing matters such as affordability, housing and public safety after Mamdani's decisive victory in this month's New York City mayoral race.
On public safety, Mamdani said he intends to maintain roughly 35,000 NYPD officers while shifting more non-urgent calls away from police and toward mental health responders — a note he reiterated Sunday.
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Fox News' Hanna Panreck, Jasmine Baher and Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report.
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