Mayor‑elect Zohran Mam Mamdani made a clear pledge Monday night to keep New York City’s sanctuary‑city designation intact, doing so amid a spirited address at Union Grove Missionary Baptist Church in the Bronx. The speech came just two days after an unexpected, friendly meet‑up between Mam Mamdani and President Donald J. Trump in the Oval Office.
While sharing his vision for the city’s newcomers, Mam Mamdani stressed that his plans would not be swayed by the president’s earlier threats to deploy ICE agents or the National Guard to the Big Apple. “I’ll let the president speak for himself, but I did make very clear that our focus comes back to public safety, delivering for each and every New Yorker and knowing that there may be disagreements between the president and myself, and there will continue to be,” he told the gathered crowd. “And I will always make the case for each and every person that calls this city home.”
The meeting with Trump on Friday, anticipated to be a heated showdown given their starkly different political stances, turned out to be surprisingly cordial. Mnconditions a lighthearted conversation unfolded as the two shook hands in front of reporters, with Trump joking that it was fine for Mam Mamdani to label him a fascist when the topic hit. The president also retracted earlier threats to bring the National Guard into New York City should Mam Mamdani win, saying he expects “to be helping him, not hurting him.”
How the two will ultimately navigate their diverging positions remains uncertain, especially when Mam Mamdani has already affirmed a tougher stance on immigration than the one that helped Trump win the presidency. Yet in the weeks that followed, the pair identified shared goals—making the city more affordable and improving essential services. Mam Mamdani reiterated Monday that he was eager to collaborate with the president where feasible to fulfill that vision.
“I think the responsibility I have as the mayor of this city is to work with anyone who can help to alleviate the affordability crisis and deliver dignity to each and every person that calls the city home,” the city’s future mayor said. He and Trump also touched on housing, public transit, childcare and zoning, among other priorities.
“At the heart of it, again and again, came back to the recognition that what New Yorkers are desperate for, no matter at what level of politics they’re thinking about, is some relief from a cost of living crisis,” Mam Mamdani added. “I think it was New Yorkers that won in this conversation.”
Still, some observers who sided with Mam Mamdani at Union Grove saw the meeting as a significant blow to Trump. “The president is scared of him,” said congressional hopeful Michael Blake.
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