Obama and Mamdani meet for the first time

Former President Barack Obama met with New York Mayor Zahran Mamdani for the first time Saturday at a child care center where they read to preschoolers and led a sing-along.

The meeting comes as Mamdani, a democratic socialist, tries to build a working relationship with Republican President Donald Trump. The meeting comes just over a week after Mamdani celebrated his 100th day in office.

Obama and Mamdani did not take questions after reading the children’s book “Alone and Together” and singing the song “Wheels of the Bus.”

New York City Mayor-elect Zahran Mamdani in New York City on December 22, 2025. Photo by Kylie Cooper/Reuters

The former two-term president and Democratic Party standard bearer has offered to serve as a sounding board for Mamdani, 34, whose stardom, youth and progressive agenda have made him stand out in Democratic politics.

Mamdani took office in January after a campaign focused on making New York City an affordable place to live, and his agenda centered on refocusing the government’s broad power toward helping the city’s struggling working class.

Mamdani’s meeting with Obama comes after he met twice with Trump at the White House in November and February to discuss issues affecting New York City.

Despite those friendly encounters, their relationship has shown signs of strain recently, with Trump posting on Truth Social on Thursday that Mamdani was “ruining New York” with his tax policies and threatening to strip federal funding for the city.