Mamdani Opens Up About Chummy Oval Office Meeting and the ‘Weirdest’ Thing Trump Showed Him
The mayor-elect says it was ‘the most productive meeting we could’ve had.’
The mayor-elect of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, is opening up about his Oval Office meeting with President Trump last week that was widely described as a “love fest” and the “weirdest” thing he saw at the White House.
Mr. Mamdani told comedian Adam Friedland that he slept on the short flight from New York to Washington and said that Mr. Trump gave him a tour of the Oval Office and the Cabinet room.
Mr. Friedland asked the mayor-elect what the “weirdest” thing Mr. Trump showed him was. The president has a history of reportedly giving colorful tours of the White House. During his first term, he enjoyed telling guests, “I’m told this is where Bill and Monica…” He would cut off the sentence without finishing the story involving President Clinton.
However, Mr. Mamdani paused for several seconds while he pondered the question.
“He had to have shown you something weird,” Mr. Friedland said.
Finally, Mr. Mamdani said there were several coffee table books in the Oval Office, one of which was “UFC at the White House.” He said he flipped through the booklet, which he said was just a “visualization” of what the octagon for the fight would look like.
He said he was not planning on attending the UFC event.
Mr. Friedland then asked Mr. Mamdani how he kept his composure during a press conference with Mr. Trump.
The comedian referenced one moment during the press conference when a reporter asked Mr. Mamdani if he was “affirming” that he thinks Mr. Trump is a fascist. The president interjected with a smile, saying, “You can just say yes. It’s easier than explaining it, I don’t mind.”
The mayor-elect told Mr. Friedland that he was “just thinking about New York City.”
“The whole time I was trying to think about the difference between if you have a White House that is working towards an affordability agenda or one that’s making it harder to live in the city,” Mr. Mamdani said.
Mr. Mamdani said he was prepared for “a lot of different situations,” but at the end of the day, he said it “felt like the most productive meeting we could’ve had.”
