On the occasion of the one hundred days in office of the socialist mayor of New York City, although his approval ratings have declined somewhat, there is widespread admiration for the art of dealing with President Trump and Governor Hochu by Mamdani, the youngest mayor of New York City. Trump even gave Mamdani three pieces of advice. Some analysts believe this shows that Mamdani is very pragmatic, well aware that the development of New York cannot be separated from the support of the federal and state governments.
According to a report by the New York Post on Friday, Mamdani has maintained a good relationship and regular text communication with President Trump. Trump recently provided three pieces of advice to Mamdani, whom he referred to as a “little communist” during his campaign.
“It is necessary to clean up this city. The condition of this city is very bad right now. First, you must clean up Manhattan and make it fresh and new,” Trump said. “Secondly, you must lower taxes, otherwise everyone will leave.”
Trump’s third piece of advice was: “You must request the intervention of the U.S. government to curb crime. These three things are crucial.”
Historically, the relationship between the mayor of New York City and the governor and the president has been tense. This is especially true for Mamdani, who has been repeatedly called a “communist” by Trump. Therefore, when Mamdani took office, many political observers predicted intense conflicts between City Hall, Albany, and the White House.
However, the reality is different. The new mayor has established good working relationships with two very different political figures: Republican President Trump and Democratic Governor Hochu.
In November, Trump warmly welcomed Mamdani in the Oval Office, praising the councilman from Queens as “very rational,” something that would “surprise some conservative people.”
On February 27, Mamdani met privately with Trump and presented a plan involving $21 billion in federal funding to build 12,000 housing units in Sunny Side in Queens and to construct platforms above the rail tracks. A spokesman for the mayor said at the time that Trump was “very enthusiastic” about the proposal.
On the other hand, although Mamdani and Hochu have opposite positions on tax issues, just eight days into his term, the state government agreed to fund his proposed free childcare plan for 2-year-olds. Later, Hochu pledged $1.5 billion in state government funding to help Mamdani address budget issues.
Political analyst Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, spoke about Mamdani on NY1 television, saying, “He understands that his success ultimately depends on how Albany and the White House treat New York City.”