‘Surprise phone pals’: Trump and Zohran Mamdani have become texting buddies, report says
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump and New York City’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, have reportedly become texting buddies despite their stark political differences.
Although Trump once called the socialist mayor a “communist,” the two have remained in close contact since a friendly meeting at the White House in November 2025.
Trump and Zohran Mamdani are now texting pals
A new report from Axios says the two leaders have been texting each other frequently, although it remains unclear what they discuss.
According to the report, “President Trump has a surprising phone pal: He and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani have texted back and forth recently, two sources familiar with their conversations tell Axios.”
The report also notes that “The back-channeling between the democratic socialist mayor and Trump, who once derided Mamdani as a ‘communist’, indicates their private communications have been more extensive than previously thought.”
Unexpected friendship began during first meeting at the White House
Before Zohran Mamdani officially became mayor, he visited the White House to meet with President Trump.
Many expected the meeting to be a disaster, as Mamdani had promised to fight Trump’s policies, while Trump had openly supported Mamdani’s opponent.
However, the meeting reportedly went so well that Trump ended up calling the mayor-elect a great leader.
According to New York magazine, when Mamdani walked into the Oval Office, Trump remarked, “Wow, you are even better looking in person than you are on TV.”
The comment reportedly shocked many Republicans and even hurt the political campaign of Elise Stefanik, who was running for New York governor at the time.
Trump was surprised by Mamdani’s criticism after friendly start
Despite their reportedly friendly relationship, tensions have surfaced in recent weeks.
After the US captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and transferred him to a jail in New York City, Mamdani called Trump to say he disagreed with the move.
Mamdani said, “I called the president and spoke with him directly to register my opposition to this act and to make clear that it was an opposition based on being opposed to a pursuit of regime change, to the violation of federal international law and a desire to see that be consistent each and every day. I registered my opposition, I made it clear and we left it at that.”
Trump appeared displeased by the criticism. During an interview with Sean Hannity, he said he was surprised that Mamdani resumed attacking him after what he described as a very positive meeting.
