Obama and Mamdani share playful moment singing 'Wheels on the Bus' at Bronx childcare center

BRONX, NEW YORK: Former President Barack Obama met New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for the first time on Saturday, April 18, engaging with preschoolers at a childcare center through storytelling and music.

The meeting came shortly after Mamdani marked his 100th day in office and amid his efforts to maintain relationships across political lines, including with President Donald Trump. The interaction also reflected a shared emphasis on early childhood education and the city’s future.

Barack Obama, Zohran Mamdani push early education

Obama and Mamdani read the book 'Alone and Together' to preschoolers and led a sing-along of 'The Wheels on the Bus.' Videos shared on X showed the two leaders waving and joining preschoolers in the popular nursery rhyme, even playfully singing along to “squish, squish, squish.”

After a private discussion, the two leaders joined children for story time and songs but refrained from taking questions following the interaction. According to a news release from the mayor’s office, the two leaders discussed the mayor’s vision for New York City and the importance of early childhood education.

A spokesperson for the mayor said the pair discussed “the importance of giving New York’s Cutest the strongest start possible” during their meeting. As they left the facility, Obama told reporters, “This is what we need, making an investment in these amazing kids.”

In a post on X, Obama wrote, “Great spending time with New York City’s Cutest,” and added, “And thanks to @NYCMayor for giving me an excuse to break out my best ‘Wheels on the Bus.’”

The former two-term president has also offered to be a sounding board for Mamdani, whose youth, progressive agenda, and growing prominence have made him stand out in Democratic politics.

Mamdani took office in January after a campaign centered on making New York City a more affordable place to live, focusing on helping the city’s struggling working class.

Zohran Mamdani, Trump face policy tensions

Mamdani’s meeting with Obama comes after he had already met twice with Trump at the White House in November and February to discuss issues affecting New York City. Despite the cordial meetings, their relationship has shown signs of strain.

Trump posted on Truth Social, “Sadly, Mayor Mamdani is DESTROYING New York! It has no chance! The United States of America should not contribute to its failure. It will only get WORSE. The TAX, TAX, TAX Policies are SO WRONG. People are fleeing. They must change their ways, AND FAST. History has proven, THIS ‘STUFF’ JUST DOESN’T WORK.”

The remarks stand in contrast to Trump’s earlier comments after their first meeting, when he said, “I think you're going to have, hopefully, a really great mayor – the better he does, the happier I am. I will say there’s no difference in party. There’s no difference in anything, and we’re going to be helping him to make everybody’s dream come true, having a strong and very safe New York.”

Mamdani had described their initial meeting as “productive” and “focused on a place of shared admiration and love” for New York City.

He said, “We spoke about rent, we spoke about groceries, we spoke about utilities. We spoke about the different ways in which people are being pushed out."

He continued, "And I appreciated the time with the President. I appreciated the conversation. I look forward to working together to deliver that affordability for New Yorkers.”

Speaking to CBS Mornings, Mamdani said he and Trump “are in touch” and are “honest, direct about the fact that we have many disagreements.”

He added, “There is one place of agreement that we have, which is that we both love New York City. In many ways, it's a New York story of people who have vehemently differing views, and have said many things about each other, and can also still work together on the points of agreement.”