President Trump repeatedly labeled Zohran Mamdani a "communist" during the campaign, threatened to withhold federal funding from New York City, and made the unusual move of endorsing Democrat-turned-independent Andrew Cuomo in the final days of the race.
Mamdani, in his Election Night victory speech, directly taunted Trump to "turn the volume up" on his television.
Trump responded minutes later on Truth Social with "…AND SO IT BEGINS!"
The mayor-elect has already vowed to hire additional lawyers to challenge Trump administration policies and declared that New York will remain "a city of immigrants" during the president's planned deportation campaign.
Mamdani said Thursday the meeting will center on public safety, economic security, and especially the affordability crisis affecting New Yorkers.
He emphasized he will cooperate with any Trump agenda that helps the city and oppose anything that harms it.
The mayor-elect noted that many New Yorkers who voted for Trump cited the same cost-of-living concerns that powered his own campaign, with roughly 1 in 10 Trump voters in the city ultimately supporting Mamdani.
He described the Oval Office visit as customary and an opportunity to advocate for the 8.5 million residents facing rising rents, childcare costs, utility bills, and transit fares.