US President Donald Trump responded to attacks on the elected mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdanicoming from some members of his own party — including New York gubernatorial candidate Elise Stefanik — saying they consider the mayor-elect a “rational person.”
Asked this Friday (21) whether he agreed with Stefanik that Mamdani was a “jihadist”, Trump said: “No, I don’t.”
“She’s on the campaign trail, and sometimes you say things on the campaign trail,” the president said of the Republican congresswoman, who announced her candidacy for state governor earlier this month.
“I met with a man who is a very rational person. I met with a man who wants to see — really wants to see it become great again,” Trump said.
Change of tone
The friendly meeting at the White House comes after an intense exchange of barbs between Trump and Mamdani in the race for mayor of New York.
Previously, Trump had supported the election of the Democrat Andrew Cuomo and threatened to cut the city’s funding if the socialist won.
The American leader, who referred to the then candidate as a “communist”, said in a post on social media that the city “can only get worse with a communist in charge” and that he does not want, as president, to “continue spending money” on the city.
In a series of statements addressed to the American president, Mamdani promised to “usher in a generation of change” during his November 5 victory speech.
“If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it’s the city that elected him,” he said.
The stance could signal a union between Trump and Mamdani in favor of financial accessibility.
A Fox News poll released this week revealed that 76% of Americans have a negative view of the economy, a figure that represents a strong warning for Republicans ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
