[Epoch Times, November 22, 2025] (Epoch Times reporter Lin Yan) On Friday (November 21), US President Trump met with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (also translated as Mamdani, a Democrat) at the White House to focus on the high cost of living in New York City.

"The better he (Mamdani) does, the happier I am," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Mamdani was standing to the president's right at the time.

“We will help him achieve the dream of every New Yorker,” the president added.

This meeting was highly anticipated because the two sides have significantly different positions and policy guidelines. Mamdani, who was elected mayor of New York City less than a month ago, describes himself as a democratic socialist and his campaign platform includes lowering the cost of living in New York City.

Mamdani told the president that one in ten New York City voters had voted for him, and the president agreed.

Both sides reached a consensus and hope to develop New York City better.

The president and the mayor-elect said they had just had a "productive meeting" that focused on the cost of living for New York City residents.

Mamdani said, "I am very grateful for the meeting with the president, which, as he said, was a productive meeting in which our shared admiration and love for New York City are focused."

Mamdani mentioned a core issue he addressed during his campaign. He added that it was essential to make the cost of living affordable for New York City's 8.5 million residents, the most expensive city in the United States.

“I look forward to working with the president to provide more affordable housing for New York City residents,” he said.

Trump, a native of New York, emphasized that despite sharp political differences, the two sides share a common vision on some important issues.

“One thing we both have in common is that we want our beloved city to thrive,” the president said. “I congratulated him, and we talked about some common topics that we share a great deal of common ground, such as housing and housing construction, and food prices. Oil prices are falling significantly.”

Trump: The better Mayor Mamdani does, the happier I am.

Trump also extended goodwill to the incoming mayors. "I hope you get a very good mayor," the president said. "The better he does, the happier I'll be. I want to say there's no difference between parties."

In his victory speech on election night, Mamdani promised voters that he would work with anyone as long as it was in their best interest.

At the White House, President Trump said that some of his voters also voted for Mamdani, and he didn't mind.

Mamdani stated in the Oval Office that he had spoken with some New York voters who voted for Trump in 2024 and then for his campaign a year later, and that these voters were concerned with housing affordability and ending the Middle East conflict.

The president stated that he agreed with Mamdani's views on housing affordability and knew that Mamdani strongly desired peace in the Middle East.

Mamdani is a leading critic of the Israeli government and a staunch supporter of Palestinian rights.

Despite numerous criticisms of Mamdani by President Trump, he said on Sunday that he hoped "everything would be good for New York" as both leaders focused on a key issue facing Americans: the cost of living.

Before the election, Trump publicly questioned how Mamdani could achieve his policy platform and endorsed Mamdani's opponent, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Despite New York City being a liberal stronghold, Trump and the Republicans achieved significant victories in New York in both the 2022 midterm elections and the 2024 presidential election.

Mamdani did not focus his campaign on boycotting or opposing Trump, but he was not afraid to fight back against the president during the campaign and launched a strong attack on Trump in his victory speech on election night.

"I intend to make it clear to President Trump that I will work with him to advance any agenda that benefits the people of New York City," Mamdani said at a press conference on Thursday. "If any agenda harms the interests of the people of New York City, I will be the first to stand up against it."

Editor in charge: Lin Yan #