Newly elected New York City Mayor Zahran Mamdani said Wednesday he is open to holding talks with his main political rival, former President Donald Trump, about addressing the cost of living crisis.
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The Muslim lawmaker, whose rapid rise has surprised many observers, joked with reporters during a briefing, saying, “The White House hasn’t reached out to congratulate me yet.”
He added, “I’m still interested in having a conversation with President Trump about how we can work together to serve New Yorkers,” referring to his commitment to fulfilling campaign promises, including efforts to tackle rising living costs.
Like Trump, Mamdani made inflation, housing prices, and consumer costs central themes of his campaign, in which he defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo.
“I think the lesson for the president,” Mamdani said, “is that it’s not enough to simply diagnose the crisis facing the American working class — you have to offer real solutions to fix it.”
Mamdani had previously criticized Trump for failing to follow through on his campaign promises to curb inflation, pointing to his decision to suspend food assistance programs during his presidency amid the government shutdown.
After winning the election on a platform that included making city buses free, freezing rent hikes, and offering free childcare, Mamdani said, “What frightens Republicans across the country is that we’re actually going to implement this agenda.”
On Wednesday, Mamdani also introduced the five women who will oversee the transition of the mayor’s office under his leadership. Among them are Lina Khan, former chair of the Federal Trade Commission under President Joe Biden, and Maria Torres-Springer, who resigned as Deputy Mayor under outgoing mayor Eric Adams due to his close ties with Trump.
