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New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said he remains ready to speak with U.S. President Donald Trump about how they might work together for the city while making clear that any discussion that undercuts residents will be turned down.
Mamdani said he is still interested in a conversation with the president about delivering on priorities that New Yorkers have raised, including cost-of-living pressures.
He noted that the White House has not yet offered congratulations on his victory. He added that any engagement that “comes at the expense” of city residents would be rejected, saying, “Then I will fight that idea tooth and nail, because my job is to serve this city.”
The mayor-elect argued that national Republicans resist efforts to address the concerns of working people. He said the real point of tension is the prospect that his team will deliver on its agenda, remarking,
“What scares Republicans across the country is the fact that we will actually deliver on this agenda, and the contrast is something that they cannot bear to witness.”
Mamdani said he takes “the issue of anti-Semitism incredibly seriously” and pledged that his administration “will stand steadfast with Jewish New Yorkers in fighting the scourge of anti-Semitism across the city.”
He said the aim is to work with community members to protect, celebrate, and cherish Jewish life across New York.
Emphasizing the rule of law—the principle that laws apply equally to everyone—Mamdani told reporters that all people “will be held to the same standard of the law.”
He said his administration intends to usher in “an era of consistency, an era of clarity, an era of conviction,” addressing perceptions that some individuals have been allowed to sidestep the rules.
Mamdani said he looks forward to talks with the current administration of Mayor Eric Adams to ensure a smooth handover.
He announced that Ilana Leopold will direct the transition, citing her background in city government.
He also named an all-female slate of transition co-chairs: former Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan, former First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres Springer, United Way president and chief executive Grace Bonilla, and former Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Melanie Hartzog.
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