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Stefanik says she disagrees with Trump after friendly Mamdani meeting, still thinks he's a 'jihadist'
By Hanna Panreck
Published November 25, 2025
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., said she disagreed with President Donald Trump on Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and doubled down on calling him a "jihadist" during an interview on Monday.
News 12 senior political reporter Tara Rosenblum asked Stefanik to respond to Trump disagreeing with her characterization of Mamdani.
"I strongly believe that Zohran Mamdani is catastrophic for the people of New York City and really for the people of New York State, particularly when you consider the fact that New York City and the greater New York City region is home to more Jewish families than any other part of the world outside of Israel. And yet it is increasingly dangerous. We’ve seen a skyrocketing of antisemitism," Stefanik said.
"And you have Zohran Mamdani, who is a defund-the-police, tax-hiking socialist who has campaigned with an unindicted co-conspirator of terrorist attacks, including the 1993 World Trade Center bombing that killed New Yorkers. So I stand by my statement, he is a jihadist, and this is an area where President Trump and I disagree," the lawmaker added.
STEFANIK WRITING NEW BOOK AMID GUBERNATORIAL RUN BUZZ
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., leaves a House Republican Conference meeting with President Donald Trump on the budget reconciliation bill in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Stefanik entered New York's gubernatorial contest earlier this month in a challenge to unseat incumbent New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The president met with Mamdani on Friday and was asked by a reporter during the press conference that followed the meeting if he thought he was standing next to a jihadist, after noting Stefanik's characterization.
"No, I don’t. But she’s out there campaigning, and you know, you say things sometimes in a campaign. She’s a very capable person. But, you’d really have to ask her about that," Trump responded, according to The Hill. "I met with a man who is a very rational person. I met with a man who really wants to see New York be great again."
Trump told the media on Friday that the two found areas of agreement.
MAMDANI SAYS HE WILL MEET JAMIE DIMON, OTHER FINANCIAL TITANS IN NYC
President Donald Trump and Mayor-Elect of New York City Zohran Mamdani during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
"We have one thing in common," Trump said of Mamdani on Friday. "We want this city of ours that we love to do very well. And I wanted to congratulate the mayor. He really ran an incredible race against, you know, a lot of smart people, starting with the early primaries against some very tough people, very smart people. And he beat them, and he beat them easily. And I congratulated him, and we talked about some things in very strong common, like housing and getting housing built and food and prices."
Mamdani told NBC's Kristen Welker on Sunday that he still believes Trump is a "fascist."
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Mamdani's campaign and the White House did not immediately return requests for comment.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/stefanik-disagrees-trump-friendly-mamdani-meeting-still-thinks-jihadist