Watch: Trump praises New York City Mayor-elect Mamdani and says he is not a “jihadist”

Although President Donald Trump repeatedly poked Zahran Mamdani on the campaign trail, he was full of praise Friday for New York City’s mayor-elect.

Watch Trump’s remarks in the video player above.

“We have one thing in common,” Trump said. “We want our city, which we love, to do very well.” He also praised Mamdani’s performance in the elections, adding that he beat “a lot of smart people” in the race.

New York City’s mayor-elect told reporters that his meeting with President Donald Trump was productive, as the two leaders shared a common love for their hometown.

He watches: Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Mamdani meet in the Oval Office

“I look forward to working together to provide affordability to New Yorkers,” Mamdani said in the Oval Office.

Trump rejects Stefanik’s description of Al-Mamdani as a “jihadi”

Trump downplayed US Representative Elise Stefanik’s criticism of Mamdani, saying that the Republican congresswoman is “just campaigning” as she runs for governor of New York.

“And you know you say things sometimes on the campaign trail,” Trump said.

He continued, describing Mamdani as a “very rational person” and said, “I met a man who really wants New York to be great again.”

Trump says he will live in New York in Mamdani

Since the election of the self-described democratic socialist, many conservatives have suggested that middle-class and wealthy New Yorkers may want to leave the city. But Trump is not one of them.

Asked whether he would be comfortable living in the city under the new mayor, Trump said: “I really would, especially after the meeting.”

He added that he received a lot of votes from Senator Bernie Sanders, another democratic socialist who unsuccessfully competed for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 and 2020.

“Bernie Sanders and I agreed on a lot more than people thought,” Trump said.