On November 21, 2025, President Donald Trump hosted New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in the Oval Office for their first face-to-face talks since Mamdani’s surprising victory. The meeting was billed as a practical discussion about the affordability crisis hitting New Yorkers — rent, groceries, utilities — and it was notable because both men walked into the room as political adversaries.
For months Trump hammered Mamdani on the campaign trail with angry rhetoric and even threatened to withhold federal dollars, yet in the Oval Office he pivoted to a far more pragmatic tone, praising the mayor-elect’s campaign and expressing a willingness to help the city. Conservatives should admire that kind of realpolitik: good governance sometimes means working with those you beat politically to get results for citizens. At the same time, it’s reasonable to remain wary of Mamdani’s ideological bent and the policy prescription that comes with it.
Mamdani ran on a democratic socialist platform promising sweeping programs — rent freezes, free public buses, government-run grocery initiatives and universal childcare — ideas that sound generous until you ask who will pay for them and what freedoms they’ll cost. These are not small tweaks to municipal governance, they are large expansions of government control over everyday life in the city, and conservatives must be blunt about the long-term consequences for property rights, business investment, and public safety. The facts of his agenda were on display during the meeting and should inform how Republicans approach cooperation going forward.
Despite their differences, both men found common ground on practical items like housing production, lowering utilities and reducing crime — issues every New Yorker feels in their wallet and on their streets. Trump’s willingness to focus on shared, tangible outcomes rather than endless culture fights is smart politics and governance; it also gives conservatives leverage to demand accountability and measurable results. Americans who care about law and order should insist that any federal cooperation comes with clear benchmarks, not blank checks.
Don’t be fooled by the smiles: Mamdani returned to national television days later and reiterated his harsh critiques of Trump, calling him a fascist, which proves that the cordial handshake in the Oval Office hasn’t softened his core political convictions. That contrast matters — voters deserve leaders who negotiate in good faith, but they also deserve clarity about true intentions and ideological commitments. Conservatives must hold both sides to account: celebrate productive meetings, but expose performative civility when it masks radical policy goals.
There’s a prudential reason to keep federal funds under scrutiny. Washington currently sends billions to New York City each year, and the federal purse should never be used to underwrite experiments that expand dependency or enable fiscal irresponsibility. Trump’s earlier threats to condition funding were blunt but signaled a useful negotiating stance; the better path is to convert that leverage into conditions that promote reform, public safety, and accountability instead of ideological giveaways.
The political takeaway for conservatives is straightforward: defend the rule of law and fiscal sanity while pushing for real, measurable fixes to affordability and crime. If Trump can extract sensible commitments — more housing built swiftly, true reforms to reduce utility costs, and support for policing that keeps neighborhoods safe — then conservatives should support those outcomes even when they come from unlikely partnerships. Never mistake tactical cooperation for ideological endorsement.
Patriots should watch closely, demand transparency, and insist that federal cooperation advances liberty and security, not expansive socialist experiments. This meeting showed that a Republican president can act in the national interest and still keep his priorities; now it’s up to voters and watchdogs to ensure promises turn into real improvements for working families. We should cheer sensible wins, but always be ready to push back when the rhetoric gives way to radical policy.
