NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani describes his relationship with Trump as 'honest, direct and productive' - BERITAJA

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani connected Wednesday called his narration pinch President Donald Trump “honest, nonstop and productive” successful an question and reply pinch Beritaja’ “Meet the Press,” 1 time earlier Trump said Mamdani is “destroying New York” by proposing a caller spot taxation connected able New Yorkers.

“He’s the president of the United States of America. I’m the politician of New York City, and we cognize that truthful overmuch of what the metropolis needs is besides limited connected a narration pinch the national administration,” Mamdani said successful an question and reply marking his first 100 days successful agency that aired Sunday.

He added that he partially credits their at times chummy relationship to the truth that “New York City holds a very typical spot for him arsenic good arsenic for me. We’re some from the aforesaid city.”

“Our conversations are not conscionable of the standard that is emblematic pinch the president, but besides granular about moreover the things arsenic circumstantial arsenic zoning rule changes successful midtown Manhattan, and that, I think, speaks to the truth that Donald Trump is not conscionable the president of this country, he’s besides personification who’s been a New Yorker for his full life, and location is an finance successful this,” the politician added.

Though the 2 person worked together and met successful the Oval Office at slightest twice since Mamdani was elected past November, the politician declined to remark connected really often he speaks pinch Trump.

Still, the politician was the taxable of the president’s ire this week erstwhile Trump criticized Mamdani and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s connection to institute a pied-a-terre taxation connected properties successful New York City worthy complete $5 cardinal whose owners do not chiefly reside there.

“Sadly, Mayor Mamdani is DESTROYING New York! It has nary chance! The United States of America should not lend to its failure. It will only get WORSE. The TAX, TAX, TAX Policies are SO WRONG. People are fleeing. They must alteration their ways, AND FAST. History has proven, THIS ‘STUFF’ JUST DOESN’T WORK,” Trump wrote successful a Truth Social post connected Thursday.

“The president and I some want this metropolis to succeed. This is really you do it,” Mamdani said Friday successful consequence to Trump’s post.

On Wednesday, Mamdani touted the pied-a-terre tax, which he says would raise $500 cardinal for New York City to thief money immoderate of his cardinal priorities, for illustration expanding free kid attraction passim the city.

Taxing the rich | successful New York to salary for immoderate of his goals was a cardinal argumentation connection for Mamdani during his campaign.

“I ever said that I believed successful the value of taxing the rich. This is taxing the rich,” the politician told “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker.

“A pied-a-terre taxation has been thing that has agelong been fought for successful the metropolis but hasn’t been imaginable to get complete the decorativeness line. It’s been really breathtaking to activity pinch the politician to triumph thing that galore thought would ne'er person a chance,” Mamdani added.

He besides said about immoderate of the different priorities that were cardinal to his run successful 2025, for illustration expanding free kid care, making nationalist buses free successful the metropolis and opening government-run market stores.

Donald Trump and Zohran Mamdani successful the Oval Office of the White House past year. Though the 2 person worked together and met successful the Oval Office astatine slightest doubly since Mamdani was elected past November, the politician declined to remark connected really often he speaks pinch Trump.Jim Watson / AFP - Getty Images

In March, Hochul and Mamdani launched a free kid attraction program for up to 2,000 2-year-olds successful New York City, pinch plans to proceed expanding the programme complete the adjacent respective years.

“On Day 8 [of the term], we announced a $1.2 cardinal statement pinch Gov. Kathy Hochul to put our metropolis connected the pathway to cosmopolitan kid care,” Mamdani said. “We are not only providing free kid attraction for each 3-year-old successful the city, we’re now doing it for 2-year-olds arsenic well. By the extremity of our first term, we will spot each azygous 2-year-old receiving free kid attraction crossed the 5 boroughs of New York City.”

Last week, the politician besides announced that his management would unfastened the first city-run market store successful East Harlem, the commencement of fulfilling a run committedness to unfastened astatine slightest 1 specified shop successful each of the city’s 5 boroughs.

“We’ve ever said that we would person 1 city-run market shop successful each borough and they would supply cheaper groceries, and we’re going to do that by guaranteeing it done a handbasket of basal items, the kinds of things that New Yorkers request from their market store, but they haven’t been capable to fund for,” Mamdani told “Meet the Press.” “We’re talking about breadstuff and eggs, the staples that person been skyrocketing.”

The politician acknowledged that rising costs astatine the market shop aren’t unsocial to the 5 boroughs, “but they’ve been expanding astatine an moreover higher complaint successful New York City. Our extremity present is to present cheaper groceries to New Yorkers. That’s what we want the result to be.”

Mamdani besides blamed the warfare successful Iran for prices continuing to emergence successful New York City and elsewhere.

“While this warfare has exacerbated a cost-of-living crisis, that is simply a situation that existed from moreover earlier the clip I was moving for mayor,” he said.

He called for group to reason the warfare “on governmental grounds, connected civilized grounds, but moreover conscionable connected economical grounds.”

But the politician said sometimes his friends narration pinch Trump could beryllium helpful, for illustration erstwhile he told the president about a Columbia University student, Elmina Aghayeva, who had been detained by the Department of Homeland Security successful February.

“Over the people of the meeting, I did mention that conscionable that morning, that ICE had detained a Columbia University student. I mentioned to him that this was portion of a larger inclination that we had seen of 5 individuals being detained successful aliases about Columbia University. I gave him a database of those five,” Mamdani told Welker.

“Thirty minutes aft the meeting, he called maine and said he had now made the determination to merchandise her. And truthful I deliberation we spot successful those decisions the worthy of a narration that is some honorable and direct,” he added.

One of the different cardinal run promises Mamdani made past twelvemonth was to institute free buses successful the city, a connection that has been stalled successful portion owed to the city’s $5.4 cardinal fund deficit.

“We’re moving pinch Albany correct now, and we’re still assured that location is simply a portion of the fund that could commencement that process of making buses free. We person 1 autobus way free successful New York City correct now. We’re excited astatine the imaginable of building that retired earlier we present it for each autobus route,” the politician told “Meet the Press.”

Mamdani besides dismissed questions about whether he’ll beryllium capable to fulfill his run promises.

“I’ve ever been hopeful of getting 2 terms, and I’ve ever said to New Yorkers that we would execute everything pinch nevertheless overmuch clip that we get,” the politician said.

He besides fielded questions about the authorities of the Democratic Party nationally, but said he’s much focused connected New York City and winning the midterms than what is going connected pinch his statement nationally.

“Here successful 2026, I want to beryllium delivering for New Yorkers, and erstwhile it comes to the nationalist level, I want to make judge that we triumph these midterms and really person a imagination that we’re fighting for, not conscionable 1 that we’re fighting against,” the politician said.

“I deliberation that New Yorkers are tired of politicians pontificating about different politicians,” he added. “What they want to spot are results, and that’s why my attraction has been much connected potholes than connected politics.”