Donald Trump has criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, accusing him of putting the city on the wrong track through his policy agenda.
Mamdani, who began his term at City Hall in January, met with Trump at the White House last year even though the two had traded sharp remarks in the run-up to the mayoral election.
During that earlier period, Trump had floated the idea of cutting federal support for New York if Mamdani won, while the Democratic mayor had previously referred to the president as a “fascist”.
Despite the tense backdrop, the Oval Office sit-down appeared to end on a positive note. After their conversation, Trump said: “I feel very confident that he can do a good job. I think he’s going to surprise some conservative people, actually.”
Trump also added: “I think you’re going to have, hopefully, a really great mayor – the better he does, the happier I am. I will say there’s no difference in party. There’s no difference in anything, and we’re going to be helping him to make everybody’s dream come true, having a strong and very safe New York.”
Mamdani characterized the meeting as “productive,” saying it focused on day-to-day costs affecting residents. He said: “We spoke about rent, we spoke about groceries, we spoke about utilities. We spoke about the different ways in which people are being pushed out.
“And I appreciated the time with the President. I appreciated the conversation. I look forward to working together to deliver that affordability for New Yorkers.”
That cooperative tone now appears to have faded. Trump later posted on Truth Social to slam Mamdani’s approach and argue that residents are leaving New York because of it.
Trump wrote: “Sadly, Mayor Mamdani is DESTROYING New York! It has no chance! The United States of America should not contribute to its failure. It will only get WORSE. The TAX, TAX, TAX Policies are SO WRONG.
“People are fleeing. They must change their ways, AND FAST. History has proven, THIS ‘STUFF’ JUST DOESN’T WORK.”
At present, there is limited evidence publicly supporting the claim that New Yorkers are “fleeing” the city, and it is not clear what prompted the president’s sudden escalation.
Mamdani has previously argued that, regardless of major political differences, coordination with the Trump administration is important for “the need to deliver affordability to New Yorkers, the eight and a half million people who call our city their home, who are struggling to afford life in the most expensive city in the United States of America.”