Watch News 4 starting at 4 p.m. for more on Melissa Russo’s interview with Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.
Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani plans to pick up the phone and call President Donald Trump prior to taking office, he told NBC New York in an exclusive interview Tuesday.
“I will be proactive,” Mamdani said, describing his strategy to dissuade the feds from flooding the city with ICE agents and/or national guard troops.
“I will be reaching out to the White House as we prepare to actually take office because this is a relationship that will be critical to the success of the city,” the Mayor-elect said.
Mamdani said that as New York City’s incoming mayor, he believes it is his responsibility to work collaboratively with adversaries and not wait until it’s too late to avoid consequences for its people.
Mamdani confirmed he and Gov. Kathy Hochul have been in discussions about how to respond to threats from the Trump administration, and said it’s important to work to prevent that kind of pressure.
President Trump, who urged New Yorkers to vote for Andrew Cuomo, has made conflicting statements about how he would deal with the city under a Mamdani administration.
On the one hand, Trump said he would speak to Mamdani and “will help him a little bit, maybe.”
The President has alternately threatened to cut federal funds to the city if Mamdani becomes mayor.
More coverage
This week, Border Czar Tom Homan said he would “flood the zone” with ICE agents in so-called sanctuary cities like New York, vowing to “make New York safer, with or without [Mamdani.]”
During an interview with NBC New York at the Mokafe Coffee Shop in Astoria, Mamdani previewed what he would say to Trump when he calls.
“I’ll say that I’m here to work for the benefit of everyone who calls the city home and that wherever there is a possibility for working together towards that end, I’m ready,” the Democrat said. “And if it’s to the expense of those New Yorkers, I will fight it.”
Mamdani also said he appreciated receiving a congratulatory phone call from Mayor Eric Adams the day after the election — and that the two made plans to meet at City Hall when Adams returns from his upcoming trip to Israel.
Asked whether Adams is trolling him by visiting Israel in part to discuss ways to fight antisemitism, Mamdani said, “I think the mayor is free to spend his remaining days and months in office as he pleases.”
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
