Trump meets with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in the White House — 11/21/2025

Key Concepts

• Affordability Crisis in New York City: A central theme, with discussions on rent, groceries, utilities, and the cost of living impacting 8.5 million New Yorkers, with one in four living in poverty.
• Housing Construction: A shared goal between President Trump and Mayor-elect Adams, emphasizing the need to build more housing and apartments to address affordability.
• Public Safety and Crime Reduction: A paramount concern for both leaders, with a commitment to working together to remove "horrible people" and ensure safe streets.
• Middle East Peace: President Trump's focus on achieving peace in the Middle East, citing his past successes and ongoing efforts, including discussions with Saudi Arabia and addressing Hezbollah.
• Ukraine War: President Trump's perspective on the war, stating it should have never happened and that he has a plan for peace, though it requires Ukrainian approval.
• Economic Policy: Discussions on inflation, oil prices, and the need to lower utility costs (specifically Con Edison).
• Political Ideologies: Contrasting views on socialism, with Mayor-elect Adams identifying as a democratic socialist and President Trump's past criticisms of "communist" and "fascist" labels.
• Intergovernmental Cooperation: The emphasis on collaboration between federal and city governments to achieve shared goals for New York City.

Meeting Summary: President Trump and Mayor-elect Adams

This summary details a productive meeting between President Trump and Mayor-elect Eric Adams, focusing on shared priorities for New York City and broader geopolitical issues.

Shared Vision for New York City

1. Affordability and Cost of Living:

• Both leaders expressed a strong commitment to addressing the affordability crisis in New York City, which affects its 8.5 million residents.
• Key areas of concern include rent, groceries, and utilities.
• Mayor-elect Adams highlighted that one in four New Yorkers live in poverty, underscoring the urgency of the issue.
• President Trump noted a significant decrease in Thanksgiving costs (25% less than last year, according to Walmart), attributing it to his policies.
• The conversation touched upon the need to lower prices, particularly for utilities like Con Edison, despite a decrease in fuel prices.

2. Housing Construction:

• A significant point of agreement was the necessity of building more housing and apartments to alleviate affordability issues.
• President Trump stated, "He wants to see houses go up. He wants to see a lot of houses created, a lot of apartments built, etc."
• Mayor-elect Adams echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of manageable housing regulation to facilitate construction.

3. Public Safety and Crime:

• Both leaders prioritized public safety and crime reduction as crucial for New York City's success.
• President Trump stated, "Ultimately, a safe New York is going to be a great New York. If it's not safe, no matter how well we do with pricing and with uh anything else, we can talk about anything you want. If you don't have safe streets, it's not going to be a success."
• They agreed on the need to remove "known murderers and known drug dealers and some very bad people."
• The discussion included the role of ICE, with Mayor-elect Adams expressing concerns about immigration law enforcement impacting New Yorkers, while President Trump emphasized getting "horrible people" out.
• Regarding the NYPD, Mayor-elect Adams committed to maintaining the budgeted headcount of 35,000 officers and ensuring they can focus on serious crime, rather than responding to mental health calls. He also mentioned retaining a competent police commissioner.

4. Economic Policies:

• President Trump highlighted the reduction in oil prices and inflation, stating, "We've got them down way down from from last year." He also mentioned that inflation has been brought down to a "normal number" under his influence, contrasting it with the "highest inflation in the history of our country the last four years under the Biden administration."
• The need to address utility costs, specifically Con Edison, was raised, with the expectation that lower fuel prices should translate to lower rates.

Geopolitical Discussions

1. Middle East Peace:

• President Trump reiterated his commitment to achieving peace in the Middle East, citing his past successes and ongoing efforts.
• He mentioned a recent meeting with the King of Saudi Arabia, who made a contribution of "more than a trillion dollars" to the United States, with a total of "over 20 trillion dollars coming in."
• He identified Hezbollah as a "big problem in Lebanon" and expressed a desire for the "total disarmament of Hamas and frankly everybody else."
• Mayor-elect Adams shared that voters who supported President Trump expressed a desire for an "end to forever wars" and an end to taxpayer dollars funding human rights violations.

2. Ukraine War:

• President Trump stated that the war "should have never happened" and that it "would have never happened if I was president."
• He believes he has a plan for peace but acknowledged that Ukrainian President Zelensky would have to approve it.
• He expressed concern over the high casualty rates, mentioning "25,000 soldiers" lost in the last month and an average of "six or seven thousand a week between the two of them dead soldiers."
• He suggested that President Zelensky should have made a deal "a year ago, two years ago" and that the "ultimate deal would have been if it never started."

Political Perspectives and Ideologies

• Populism and Campaign Styles: Mayor-elect Adams acknowledged that President Trump's campaign style and techniques inspired aspects of his own campaign, particularly in focusing on the cost of living crisis and listening to voters.
• Socialism: When asked about a House resolution condemning socialism, Mayor-elect Adams stated he has "focused very little on resolutions" and reiterated his identity as a "democratic socialist," emphasizing that the "place of agreement is the work that needs to be done to make New York City affordable."
• "Fascist" Label: When pressed about his previous remarks calling President Trump a "despot" and accusing him of having a "fascist agenda," Mayor-elect Adams stated, "I think both President Trump and I, we are very clear about our positions and our views." He later clarified that he would not retract his remarks but appreciated the meeting's focus on shared purpose. When directly asked if he affirmed President Trump is a fascist, he responded, "That's okay. You can just say yes."
• "Communist" Label: President Trump described a figure (likely referring to a political opponent) as having "views that a little out there," but stated, "We're going to see what works or he's going to change also. We all change." He expressed confidence that this individual could do a good job and "surprise some conservative people actually and some very liberal people."
• Property Tax Reform: Mayor-elect Adams clarified that his discussion of race-based property taxes was a "description of neighborhoods, not a description of intent," and that the goal is to create a "fair property tax system" that is equitable and affordable for all New Yorkers.

Notable Statements and Quotes

• President Trump: "We have one thing in common. We want this uh city of ours that we love to do very well."
• Mayor-elect Adams: "We spoke about rent. We spoke about groceries. We spoke about utilities. We spoke about the different ways in which people are being pushed out."
• President Trump: "If I can get prices down, it's good for New York. And we've got them down way down from from last year."
• Mayor-elect Adams: "The better he does, the happier I am." (Referring to President Trump's potential support for him).
• President Trump: "We're going to be helping him uh to make everybody's dream come true. having a strong and very safe New York."
• Mayor-elect Adams: "What I really appreciate about the president is the meeting that we had focused not on places of disagreement, which there are many, and also focused on the shared purpose that we have in serving New Yorkers."
• President Trump: "We're pushing for total disarmament of Hamas and frankly everybody else and we actually have peace in the Middle East."
• Mayor-elect Adams: "When we asked those New Yorkers who had voted for the president when we saw an increase in his numbers in New York City, that came back to the same issue. Cost of living, cost of living, cost of living."
• President Trump: "Ultimately, a safe New York is going to be a great New York."
• Mayor-elect Adams: "I am a democratic socialist. I've been very open about that."
• President Trump: "I inherited this war. I would have never This war never would have happened. I inherited this war."
• Mayor-elect Adams: "We have to own the responsibility of it. Things that existed long before the president was the president."
• President Trump: "We had both of us, we had the highest inflation in the history of our country the last four years under the Biden administration. And we've got inflation down now to a normal number."
• Mayor-elect Adams: "We work with ICE. We we we discussed ICE and New York City and I spoke about how the laws that we have in New York City allow for New York City government to speak to the federal administration for about 170 serious crimes."
• President Trump: "He wants to see no crime. He wants to see housing being built. He wants to see rents coming down. All things that I agree with."
• Mayor-elect Adams: "We focused on affordability. We focused on the cost of living crisis."
• President Trump: "I love New York City. It's where I come from."
• Mayor-elect Adams: "New York City loves a future that is affordable."
• President Trump: "For some reason, the press has found this to be a very interesting meeting."
• Mayor-elect Adams: "I appreciated a portrait of of FDR and the incredible work that was done with the New Deal and also in thinking about what it can look like when the federal government and New York City government work together to deliver on affordability."
• President Trump: "He retained a great police commissioner, I believe. Right. Yes. Yes, we did. Commissioner said, if the newspapers are correct, that one they're correct about. He uh he retained I think somebody that is a good friend of some of the people in my family, Ivanka, and they say she's really good, really competent, and he just retained her. So, that's a good sign."
• President Trump: "There will be topics that we disagree on. I think we'll probably come to a conclusion and uh ultimately he'll convince me or I'll convince him. You know, it's for the good of New York."
• Mayor-elect Adams: "I met with a man who's a very rational person. I met with a man who wants to see really wants to see New York be great again."

Technical Terms and Concepts

• Cost of Living Crisis: A situation where the cost of essential goods and services rises significantly, making it difficult for people to afford basic necessities.
• Inflation: A general increase in prices and fall in the purchasing value of money.
• Con Edison: Consolidated Edison, Inc., a major investor-owned energy company that provides electricity, natural gas, and steam to New York City and Westchester County.
• ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement): A federal law enforcement agency responsible for enforcing U.S. immigration and customs laws.
• NYPD (New York City Police Department): The primary law enforcement agency for New York City.
• Hamas: A Palestinian Sunni-Islamist fundamentalist organization.
• Hezbollah: A Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group.
• New Deal: A series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939.
• SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics): Elite units within law enforcement agencies trained to handle high-risk situations.

Logical Connections and Flow

The meeting began with President Trump congratulating Mayor-elect Adams on his election victory and expressing a shared desire for New York City's success. This led to discussions on immediate concerns like affordability and housing. The conversation then broadened to geopolitical issues, including the Middle East and Ukraine, where President Trump highlighted his foreign policy achievements and plans. Political ideologies and past criticisms were addressed, with both leaders attempting to find common ground and emphasize future collaboration. The meeting concluded with a focus on specific policy areas like public safety and the potential for future interactions, underscoring a commitment to working together for the betterment of New York City.

Data, Research Findings, and Statistics

• Thanksgiving Cost Reduction: 25% less than last year (Walmart).
• New Yorkers in Poverty: One in four.
• Saudi Arabia Contribution: Over $1 trillion, with a total of over $20 trillion coming in.
• Ukraine War Casualties: 25,000 soldiers lost in the last month; 6,000-7,000 per week average.
• Homeless School Children in NYC: Over 100,000 for nine consecutive years.
• NYPD Headcount: Budgeted at 35,000.
• Mental Health Calls to NYPD: 200,000 per year.

Conclusion and Synthesis

The meeting between President Trump and Mayor-elect Eric Adams demonstrated a surprising level of common ground on critical issues facing New York City, particularly affordability, housing, and public safety. Despite past political differences and ideological contrasts, both leaders expressed a strong desire to collaborate and leverage federal and city resources to improve the lives of New Yorkers. President Trump's focus on economic improvements and foreign policy achievements was met with Mayor-elect Adams's emphasis on addressing the cost of living crisis and serving the needs of the city's residents. The discussions on geopolitical matters, while reflecting President Trump's distinct perspectives, also highlighted Mayor-elect Adams's connection to voter concerns about foreign policy. The overall takeaway is a commitment to pragmatic cooperation for the benefit of New York City, with a shared vision for a more affordable, safer, and prosperous future.