Trump offers rare praise for NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, calls him a ‘very nice person’

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump offered unexpected praise for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during remarks at an event honoring ‘Angel Families,’ describing the mayor as ‘a very nice person’ despite criticizing his political views.

The comments came as the president discussed a major snowstorm affecting the city, referencing reports that Mamdani had encouraged residents to help shovel snow in their neighborhoods. 

Trump addresses NYC snowstorm response

“The mayor of New York is a very nice person; I met him, but his ideology is not too good,” began the president. “But we’re having a massive snowstorm right now, and I’ve heard that he’s asked people to come out and help shovel the snow.”

Trump said, “OK, so you get a shovel and you start shoveling, right? What the hell? You’re not going to help too much, but you can help.”

Zohran Mamdani recently declared a state of emergency, ordering the shutdown of the city’s entire traffic network, except for emergency travel, as a severe snowstorm hits the northeastern United States.

Trump flags policy divide with mayor

Trump’s comments about Mamdani reflect the complicated relationship between the White House and New York City leaders.

Although Trump called the mayor personally nice, he stressed his disagreement with what he referred to as the mayor’s ‘ideology,’ without going into specifics.

Mamdani, a progressive Democrat, has backed policies focused on community involvement, expanded social services, and limits on federal cooperation in immigration enforcement. These positions have often put him at odds with the Trump administration.

Zohran Mamdani details NYC snowstorm response

A second storm dumped nearly two feet of snow on the city, shortly after the snow from the previous storm had dissipated.

“As of now, we are not aware of any deaths related to this blizzard on city streets or in public areas,” the mayor said. According to Mamdani, Homeless Services staff placed people into shelters 79 times, 2,600 sanitation workers were deployed on each 12-hour shift, about 1,300 emergency snow shovelers were assigned, crews responded to 300 calls about downed trees, and 2,200 bus stops were cleared by February 23. 

During an interview with NY1, the mayor discussed how the city is staying on top of the massive dig-out effort this time. “We’ve geotagged all the bus stops and crosswalks so that the city knows all the locations and the last time they were cleaned,” he said.

Trump, who spoke at the event focused on families who have lost loved ones to crimes committed by undocumented immigrants, used the occasion to reinforce his broader emphasis on immigration enforcement and public safety.

Throughout the gathering, the president reiterated his administration’s hardline stance on border security and the need for stricter policies.