US President Trump offered rare praise of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani Monday, saying he has “great potential."
The two leaders chatted inside Gracie Mansion before holding a press conference ahead of Tuesday’s United Nations General Assembly in the city.
“No, I certainly hope he will be a great mayor," Trump said when asked about Mamdani. “You have to understand - I want what’s good for New York. I want what’s good for the country."
“So, if I had a choice of having him be a bad mayor or horrible mayor, I don’t want that," he continued. “I want him to be a great mayor, and he’s certainly got potential and great potential."
Trump earlier Monday said Gracie Mansion is one of his “favorite places in the World."
“I spent lots of hours there over the years, with some great Mayors, some average Mayors, and some bad Mayors," he wrote on Truth Social. “It will be interesting to see how it looks now, invited by Mayor Mamdani."
He added that was looking “forward" to the visit.
Monday’s meeting was the third face-to-face encounter between Mamdani and Trump. Their first meeting took place in the Oval Office in November 2025, shortly after Mamdani won the mayoral election, and they met again in February.
During their first encounter, Trump spoke positively about Mamdani despite having called him a “communist" during the campaign. The two discussed issues including real estate, zoning regulations and efforts to lower electricity costs.
After their second meeting, Mamdani posted on social media, “I had a productive meeting with President Trump this afternoon," alongside a photograph of the two men in the Oval Office.
Prior to the two meetings, Trump had repeatedly hit the democratic socialist mayor over his left-wing politics in the lead-up to the election last year.
Between meetings, the president has been critical of some of Mamdani’s policies, accusing him of “destroying" the city with his new proposed tax on second homes.