US President Donald Trump on Friday said he had more in common with mayor-elect of New York City Zohran Mamdani than he once thought, and that they both want peace in the Middle East.
For months, the US President called the Muslim American, 34, a "communist lunatic" and a "nut job". Mr Mamdani called Mr Trump an "authoritarian" and a "fascist" who must be stopped.
In an extraordinary Oval Office meeting, the two adversaries said their talks focused on areas of agreement, including affordability and crime.
"We have a lot more in common than I would have thought," Mr Trump said. "I want him to do a great job, and will help him do the great job."
Mr Mamdani swept the New York mayoral race this month on a platform focused on making the city more affordable for New Yorkers.
"We focus on that same cost of living, and that's where I am really looking forward to delivering for New Yorkers in partnership with the President," he said.
Mr Trump, who brokered the Gaza ceasefire earlier this year, has been a strong ally of Israel, while Mr Mamdani has been one of the most vocal critics of US support for Israel in the war, which he has called a genocide.
But Mr Trump said both leaders "want to see peace in the Middle East".
"I spoke about the Israeli government committing genocide," Mr Mamdani said. "And I shared with the President in our meeting about the concern that many New Yorkers have of wanting their tax dollars to go towards the benefit of New Yorkers and their ability to afford basic dignity."
Mr Trump, surprisingly, did not push back. He even laughed when a journalist asked whether Mr Mamdani still believed the US President was a fascist.
“That’s OK, you can just say it,” Mr Trump said. “It’s easier than explaining it, I don’t mind.”
Mr Trump, a former New York City resident had said that his former hometown would descend into chaos should Mr Mamdani win.
In the lead-up to the race, Republican politicians and right-wing commentators joined a racist and Islamophobic wave of attacks against Mr Mamdani, encouraged in part.
Conservative commentators have accused Mr Mamdani of sympathising with Hamas, supporting the 9/11 attacks and other Islamophobic tropes.
Asked whether he believed Mr Mamdani was a "jihadist" Mr Trump said: "I don't particularly think that.
"I met with a man who's a very rational person. I met with a man who wants to see, really wants to see New York be great again."
Mr Mamdani takes office in January and will be the city's first Muslim mayor.
