Karoline Leavitt says Trump’s meeting with Mamdani shows he’s ‘president for all Americans’

WASHINGTON, DC: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday defended President Donald Trump’s sit-down with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani as proof that he's “a president for all Americans."

Leavitt told reporters the meeting underscored Trump’s desire to bridge the political divide despite having exchanged insults with Mamdani on national TV.

Karoline Leavitt backs Trump's meeting with Mamdani

Leavitt was asked about Mamdani continuing to toss the “fascist” label at Trump. “I think talk is cheap… and I think the president is going to judge Mamdani by his actions that he takes in New York,” she said.

According to Leavitt, the mood inside that meeting was “positive."

She said, “The meeting was positive as you heard from the president last week and I think the fact that the president is willing to meet with somebody who said those types of things about him shows that he really is interested in being a president for all Americans regardless of where they live or who their leader is.”

Leavitt also made it clear that Trump still loves New York. “He wants what’s best for New York. He loves New York City. He helped build the skyline. He spent his whole life there and so he really wants to see New York do well. So, that’s how that meeting played last week,” she said.

But the warmth inside the Oval didn’t exactly soften Mamdani’s rhetoric. On Sunday, the mayor-elect told NBC News that Trump is still a “fascist” in his view and that his stance “remains unchanged.” 

Trump and Mamdani in the Oval Office

During last week’s Oval Office photo-op, a reporter asked Mamdani, “Just days ago, you referred to Trump as a ‘despot’ and accused him of having a fascist agenda. Are you planning to retract any of these remarks?”

Trump stepped in and took it on the chin, saying it was perfectly fine for Mamdani to call him a “despot.”

Mamdani later told the reporter, “We are both very clear on our positions and our views, and what I really appreciate about the president is our meeting focused not on places of disagreement but the shared purpose we have.”

Trump later added, “I’ve been called much worse than a despot.” 

The aftermath of Trump and Mamdani meeting

Both Trump and Mamdani came out of the meeting sounding almost complimentary. Trump admitted the whole thing “surprised” him and said, “He wants to see no crime. He wants to see housing being built. He wants to see rents coming down. All things that I agree with.”

“I expect to be helping him, not hurting him — a big help, because I want New York City to be great. I think he wants to make it greater than ever before and if he can, we’ll be out there cheering. I’ll be cheering for him," the president added.

Mamdani struck a similar tune on Friday. “I appreciated the time with the president. I appreciated your conversation," he said.

"We are very clear about our positions and our views, and what I really appreciate about the president is the meeting that we had focused not on places of disagreement, of which there are many, but instead focused on the shared purpose that we have in serving New Yorkers.”