US President Donald Trump met New York City's newly elected mayor Zohran Mamdani at the White House in what was billed as the political showdown of the year - but instead became a praise fest.
In his election victory speech, the self-described Democratic socialist mayor called Trump a "despot".
And before Friday's meeting, the president's spokeswoman had billed Mamdani's visit as a "communist coming to the White House".
But standing side-by-side in the Oval Office, the two men struck a surprisingly conciliatory tone.
Over and over, both men emphasised their shared interest in addressing New York City's affordability crisis. They smiled often, and Trump even appeared amused as reporters asked him about the political attacks Mamdani had fired his way.
The tone of the meeting appeared to strike political observers off-guard, but offered a signal that both men understand that tackling the affordability crisis is critical to their political success.
Whether the truce will last once Mamdani takes office on 1 January remains to be seen.
Until then, "I'll be cheering for him," Trump said.
Trump full of praise
The rapport was evident from the moment they started speaking to the press.
Facing the media after a private meeting, Mamdani stood to Trump's right with his hands clasped, as the president sat behind the Resolute Desk. Their body language was relaxed – particularly Trump's.
Not only did Trump refrain from attacking Mamdani, he praised him numerous times.
The president expressed hope that Mamdani would be a "really great mayor".
Later, the president added he was "confident that he can do a very good job".
Brushing off questions about jihad and fascism
Mamdani and Trump traded political barbs throughout the mayoral election. A reporter in the room on Friday reminded the two men that Trump had called Mamdani a "communist" and Mamdani had referred to the president as a "despot".
Both men deflected multiple questions about their previous statements and pivoted back to praise.
Trump even let Mamdani answer a question about whether the mayor-elect thought the president was a "fascist".
"That's ok, you can just say yes," Trump interjected, giving Mamdani a light tap on the arm and smiling. "It's easier than explaining."
The closest Trump came to criticising Mamdani's politics was telling reporters: "He's got views that are little out there."
Perhaps most striking, Trump dismissed a question echoing an attack on Mamdani by one of Trump's top political allies in New York.
"Do you think you're standing next to a 'jihadist' right now in the oval office?" a reporter asked, quoting Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who is mounting a run for governor of New York state.
"No I don't," Trump quickly replied.
"You say things sometimes in a campaign," Trump said of Stefanik. "She's a very capable person."
Bonding over New York roots
Mamdani and Trump have something in common: they're both New Yorkers, and both have called the borough of Queens home.
Trump's childhood home is in the neighbourhood of Jamaica Estates, while Mamdani currently resides in Astoria.
The two had a "shared love" of the city, Mamdani said.
Though Trump rarely spends time in his namesake Manhattan skyscraper these days, he spoke fondly of his hometown throughout the news conference.
"This city could be unbelievable - if he could be a spectacular success, I'll be very happy," Trump said.
At one point, the president suggested that, in a different political lifetime, he would have liked to be mayor of New York himself.
Affordability focus
Perhaps part of the reason the two men appeared in lock-step on Friday was their shared focus on cost-of-living issues.
Trump won re-election last year after relentlessly hammering the issue of high inflation that had frustrated voters in 2024. As consumers grow restless about the cost of groceries, housing and other essentials, Trump has tried to convey a message of economic stability.
During his election campaign in New York City, Mamdani maintained a laser focus on the lack of affordable housing and proposed freezing rent increases on certain rent-stabilised apartments, among other initiatives.
Mamdani said he and Trump discussed how to "deliver affordability to New Yorkers".
Whenever he was asked a question about their differing views, the mayor-elect brought the conversation back to this topic.
Facing one question about their different views on achieving peace in the Middle East, Mamdani responded that Trump voters had expressed to him a wish for "an end to forever wars" and for leaders to address "the cost-of-living crisis".
On law enforcement and immigration, they also appeared to find some common ground. Mamdani said he and Trump discussed federal immigration-enforcement operations in New York, and he relayed concerns from residents about how they are being conducted.
But Trump said they discussed crime more than immigration.
"He doesn't want to see crime and I don't want to see crime," the president said. He had "very little doubt" the two would get along on that issue.
Trump even said he would feel safe living in a Mamdani-led New York.
A complication for Republicans' strategy?
The cordial relations on display on Friday may complicate efforts by Republicans to use the self-described democratic socialist as a bogeyman in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections, when control of the US Congress will be up for grabs.
In elections earlier this month, Republicans struggled and Democrats won key races. It's unclear whether that trend will hold.
Republicans had plans in place to make Mamdani the face of the Democratic Party, according to US news site Axios. They included painting him as anti-police, anti-capitalism and anti-Israel in an effort to give Republicans a leg-up in key races.
But the Oval Office chuminess could undercut that strategy.
While praising Mamdani, the president said he believed the new mayor would "surprise some conservative people".
