In a wide-ranging interview on “Inside City Hall” Tuesday night, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani stated he has reconnected with President Donald Trump following their friendly meeting at the White House last month.
Mamdani also expressed condolences for the attack on two National Guardsmen, which resulted in one losing her life, NY1 reported.
“It was a conversation where I both communicated my condolences about the multiple National Guardsmen who were attacked and the one who later lost her life to that horrific attack and focusing on what we can do to actually build more housing here in New York,” he said.
Mamdani stated that although the conversation occurred after last weekend’s federal immigration raids on Canal Street, he promised to continue protesting ICE’s actions once he becomes mayor.
“I’ve said, even to the president directly, that these raids are cruel and inhumane,” Mamdani said.
President Trump ran on mass deportations of those who are criminal aliens and who are in the country illegally.
During Joe Biden’s term, it’s estimated that he allowed the country to be flooded with up to 15 million more people, which economists have said helped lead to the current housing and affordability crises.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Mamdani and the departing Mayor Eric Adams met face-to-face for the first time since the election to talk about the transfer of power.
“It was for a little over an hour, and it focused on a smooth transition for New Yorkers,” he said.
Mamdani told NY1 he’s considering keeping some Adams administration officials including city Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos.
“I appreciate the work that she’s done and, like everyone within the Adams administration, I will assess her and everyone else on the basis of the work they have done, not on the basis of the fact of who appointed them,” he said.
Mamdani said his team is still determining the location of his Jan. 1 inauguration but pledged that the ceremony will include participation from everyday New Yorkers.
As his transition team reviews roughly 70,000 résumés submitted for positions in his incoming administration, Mamdani is also weighing whether he will reside in the city-owned, taxpayer-funded Gracie Mansion on the Upper East Side.
He currently lives in a rent-controlled unit in Astoria, Queens. “I am not yet at a decision point, but I did appreciate having it at Gracie, and I’ve been there a few times visiting both Mayor Adams but also Mayor de Blasio,” he added.
So far, Mamdani has maintained a cordial relationship with Gov. Kathy Hochul, but he said he opposes her decision to approve a natural gas pipeline running through the outer boroughs.
“I think I’ll always make my thoughts clear as I have done now and will continue to do so, and I look forward to the working relationship that I have with the governor, which is one that is focused on the affordability crisis and how to deliver for New Yorkers,” he said.
“I’m on the record opposing any new fossil fuel construction, and it’s part of a commitment to taking on the climate crisis,” he added.
Fossil fuels are the most plentiful and affordable type of energy, experts have repeatedly stated. Natural gas, in particular, is one of the cleanest-burning fuels in existence, and also one of the most affordable, so it’s unclear why Mamdani would oppose its development.
One possible explanation: He’s more focused on pushing a radical “climate change” agenda, which is popular on the far left.
