New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani doubled down in an interview with Meet the Press on his decision to call President Donald Trump a "fascist," saying he sticks by something he's already "said in the past."
During their meeting in the Oval Office on Friday, a reporter asked Mamdani about a bipartisan resolution passed in the House of Representatives condemning socialism, a move that coincided with the democratic socialist Mamdani's visit to Washington.
Mamdani stood firm, saying that while he acknowledges that he and Trump are on opposite ends of the political spectrum, "the place of agreement is the work that needs to be done to make New York City affordable." When the reporter asked Mamdani if he could "affirm that you think President Trump is a fascist," Trump cut in before Mamdani could answer.
Trump said:
"That's okay. You can just say yes. I don't mind. It's easier than explaining it."
Trump even gave Mamdani a pat on the arm, an oddball moment during the already bizarrely chummy meeting. Mamdani smiled and responded to the reporter with an emphatic "yes."
You can watch what happened in the video below.
During a sit-down with Meet the Press moderator Kristin Welker, Mamdani doubled down:
"That’s something that I’ve said in the past. I say it today. And I think what I appreciated about the conversation that I had with the president was that we were not shy about the places of disagreement, about the politics that has brought us to this moment."
"And we also wanted to focus on what it could look like to deliver on a shared analysis of an affordability crisis for New Yorkers.”
He added:
"Everything that I've said in the past, I continue to believe. And that's the thing that I think is 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 that table, because I'm not coming into the Oval Office to make a point or make a stand."
"I'm coming in there to deliver for New Yorkers. And a few weeks ago, I was asked by a reporter three words to describe myself. I said, "New York City." And that's what animated that conversation. How do we deliver for the people of New York City?"
You can hear what he said in the video below.
People had thoughts.
At one point, Welker also asked Mamdani about Trump's prior threat that the National Guard would be deployed to New York City.
Mamdani would not disclose whether Trump offered any assurance about keeping federal forces out of the city. He did say, however, that he urged the president against deploying the National Guard, arguing that the city was managing public safety effectively.
Mamdani said he "made it very clear what we wanted to do was to deliver public safety and affordability, and the NYPD would be the ones to do so."
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