Mayor and President Foster Unlikely Friendship

So, you might find this interesting—Mayor Zoran Mamdani and former President Trump have taken to exchanging “friendly” letters a couple of times each week. It’s a bit surprising—considering their political differences—to see this unusual friendship develop.

Reportedly, they’ve been communicating via text quite regularly since their amicable meeting at the White House in November. The topics? Quite a range, actually—from discussions on dismantling the regime in Venezuela under Nicolás Maduro to ideas about real estate in New York City.

People familiar with their conversations have noted that the emails generally carry a “friendly” tone. One politician remarked, “It wouldn’t make much sense for them to publicly or privately clash. But, you know, they can’t appear too chummy either.”

There’s a view that Mamdani might find it wise to keep things in good standing with Trump, especially with the risk of the federal government holding back funds from the city. The current dynamics certainly diverge sharply from past interactions between New York mayors and presidents.

Take Eric Adams, for example. His attempts to cozy up to Trump led him to rush to D.C. for the inauguration last year—but he still had to go through a middleman to reach Trump.

“It is quite unexpected that Trump seems at ease with Mamdani,” said Andrew Kurtzman, who runs a strategic communications firm. “Trump had a challenging relationship with the previous left-leaning mayor, de Blasio, and perhaps felt somewhat rejected by the city. There’s a certain emotional connection that, I think, has formed with Mamdani. The mayor must really be taken aback by all this.”

When questioned about how Mamdani’s relationship with Trump might sit with his base from the Democratic Socialists of America—who are less than fond of the former Republican administration—Kurtzman speculated they might let it slide. “From Mamdani’s perspective, it’s probably just a transactional arrangement,” he suggested.