New York, New York - New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani spoke out about his relationship with President Donald Trump and his first 100 days in office in a new interview aired on Sunday.
Mamdani described his relationship with Trump as "honest," "direct," and "productive" in an interview with NBC's Meet the Press.
The mayor declined to tell host Kristen Welker how often he speaks with the president. He is known to have met with him in the White House at least twice.
"What I will say is that those conversations, no matter how they happen, they return back to one thing – one of the few things that we have in common – which is our love for New York City and how to deliver for this same city," Mamdani said.
"Much of this is a reflection of the fact that he is the president of the United States of America. I'm the mayor of New York City, and we know that so much of what this city needs is also dependent on a relationship with the federal administration," he continued.
Mamdani said he had discussed plans with Trump to build more housing in New York City, while raising his opposition to the administration's federal immigration raids.
"New York City holds a very special place for him as well as for me. We're both from this same city. And it means that our conversations are not just of the scale that is typical with a president but also granular about even the things as specific as zoning law changes in midtown Manhattan," Mamdani explained.
"That, I think, speaks to the fact that Donald Trump is not just the president of this country. He’s also someone who’s been a New Yorker for his entire life, and there is an investment in this city doing well."
Zohran Mamdani reflects on first 100 days as mayor
In the NBC interview, Mamdani celebrated what he considers some of his biggest achievements in his first 100 days, including efforts to expand free childcare and to make city buses faster.
The mayor also touted the construction of the first city-owned grocery store, to be built at La Marqueta in East Harlem.
He further highlighted the state's first pied-à-terre tax, which he announced alongside Governor Kathy Hochul last week. The measure is expected to generate $500 million in yearly revenue by imposing an annual surcharge on homes valued above $5 million when owners have a separate primary residence outside of New York City.
Trump lashed out on Thursday after receiving the news, claiming Mamdani is "DESTROYING New York!" and that his "TAX, TAX, TAX Policies are SO WRONG."
"The president and I both want this city to succeed. This is how you do it," Mamdani responded.
In the interview, Mamdani spoke on another area of contention with the president: the war on Iran, which he said has exacerbated New York City's already severe cost-of-living crisis.
"We are speaking about a federal administration that has spent upwards of $28 billion killing thousands of people all the way over in the Middle East at the same time as we're being told that this money cannot be found to invest in working-class Americans across this county," Mamdani said.
"At the core of any war is a dehumanization that takes place. It is never confined to a battle field," he warned.