Political figures and leaders from both sides of the aisle continued to react to the meeting between President Donald Trump and Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.
John Catsimatidis, the longtime Trump ally and owner of the Gristedes grocery chain, spoke Saturday morning at a turkey giveaway event in Manhattan was hosted by the Police Athletic League and Commissioner Tisch.
“Look, I’m glad he made peace with Mayor-elect Mamdani, and again, it’s not the kids’ fault. We’re here to serve the city and give the kids a better life,” Catsimatidis said.
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio has experience meeting with Trump during his own time in office.
“I think Trump has actually a lot of respect for Mamdani. As they say, game respects game,” de Blasio said on CNN. “I had this same exact experience. I went to meet with Trump 10 days after the 2016 election.”
“What I learned is, if you engage Trump and you show him you’re not afraid, he is actually willing to do some give and take,” de Blasio added.”
Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis said she was skeptical of how Trump and Mamdani’s different views of making the city cheaper will align.
“They seemed a little too chummy in my opinion, but they seemed to find some common ground. The problem is, you know, these people who are self-proclaimed socialists, they are wolves in sheep’s clothing,” Malliotakis said on Fox News.
“I don’t know if their views of how you get to the affordability issue are really in line. Obviously one wants to implement socialist policies and price controls that we know don’t work, and President Trump is doing it the right way by expanding innovation, the free market and competitiveness,” she added.
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams gave his reaction to NY1 Saturday about what the meeting could mean for the city’s future.
“It was pretty shocking, I will say, pretty surprising. My belief is that it would have went well, just knowing who our mayor is. But I don’t think anyone could have expected this,” Williams said.
“Trump is really a simple person, so I think he goes off of emotion, who knows — we’ll wait and see. I think the proof is in the pudding. But we may have staved off what was [an] inevitability in just a few weeks. And so the longer we can stave off harmful things to our city, the better, and you have to credit the mayor-elect for that,” Williams added.
Kathy Wylde, president and CEO of the Partnership for New York City, released a statement on the meeting.
“This is a very promising kickoff for his mayoralty and bodes well for his relationship with the city’s business leaders,” she said in part.