Will he use the red courtesy phone?
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani confirmed Tuesday that he will reach out to President Trump before taking office New Year’s Day, telling NBC New York in an interview that the relationship between City Hall and the White House “will be critical to the success of the city.”
“I will be reaching out to the White House as we prepare to actually take office, said Mamdani, 34, who didn’t specify when he would contact the administration, but said he would be “proactive” as he tries to thwart Trump’s hard-line immigration and crime policies.
Zohran Mamdani will call President Trump before taking office as mayor of New York City. News 4 / NBC
President Trump spoke out about Zohran Mamdani’s win after the election. Getty Images
“[If] President Trump wants to speak about lowering the cost of living or delivering cheaper groceries, like he ran on [in 2024], I’m there to have that conversation,” the mayor-elect said, later adding that he would tell the commander-in-chief: “I’m here to work for the benefit of everyone that calls the city home, and that wherever there is a possibility for working together toward that end, I’m ready, and if [the administration’s policies] are to the expense of those New Yorkers, I will fight.”
President Trump watches as reporters depart after Vice President JD Vance swore in US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor in the Oval Office of the White House on Nov. 10 in Washington. APWhite House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told The Post at her regular briefing Wednesday that “I’ll let the president respond himself to that comment by Mr. Mamdani.”
Ahead of the Nov. 4 mayoral election, Trump threatened to withhold federal money from NYC and execute a federal takeover if the “Communist” Mamdani was voted in.
Mamdani celebrates during an election night event at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater in Brooklyn, New York, on Nov. 4, 2025. AFP via Getty ImagesIn his first comments since the Democratic socialist’s victory, the president slightly softened his tone, saying last week, “I hope it works out for New York” and “we’ll help him a little bit, maybe.”
“He has to be a little bit respectful of Washington because if he’s not, he doesn’t have a chance of succeeding,” Trump told Fox News anchor Bret Baier in a post-election interview. “I want to make the city succeed.”
Trump said that he didn’t plan to reach out and that “it would be more appropriate for him to reach out to us” and that “I’m here.”
Mamdani also revealed in Tuesday’s interview that he has consulted with Gov. Kathy Hochul about how to respond to Trump’s occasional threats and frequent public attacks.
