Trump tells Zohran Mamdani ‘it’s OK’ to call him a fascist during White House meeting

Zohran Mamdani met Donald Trump in the White House this evening after winning New York’s mayoral election earlier this month.

But the meeting took an unexpected turn when the US president, who previously described Mamdani as a ‘communist’, told him ‘it’s OK’ to call him a ‘fascist’.

When a reporter asked Mamdani whether he stands by his previous remark that Donald is a fascist, New York’s mayor-elect replied ‘I’ve spoken about…’ before Trump jumped in, saying: ‘That’s ok, you can just say it.’

He added that ‘it’s easier than explaining it, I don’t mind’, before patting him on the shoulder as both smiled.

Before the meeting Mamdani said he wanted to work with Trump – despite their political differences and previous comments about each other.

New York’s mayor-elect said: ‘I intend to make it clear to President Trump that I will work with him on any agenda that benefits New Yorkers.

‘If an agenda hurts New Yorkers, I will also be the first to say something.’

And despite Trump previously calling him Mamdani a communist, Mamdani describes himself as a democratic socialist.

During the meeting the president said they agree on ‘a lot more than I would have thought’.

He also congratulated Mamdani on winning the New York mayoral race, adding that he thinks he’ll do a ‘great job’.

Mamdani described the occasion as a ‘great meeting’.

Despite their past comments, it appeared the pair had made up, with Trump also saying that while Mamdani’s views were a ‘little out there’, he could ‘surprise some conservative people’.

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