(MENAFN- Live Mint) Keeping differences aside, Donald Trump and Zohran Mamdani on Friday held a 'productive' meeting at the White House, with the US President saying he is going to help the New York Mayor-elect to make everybody's dream come true.

The two leaders focused on shared goals and discussed the cost of groceries, utilities, healthcare and housing affordability.

In the first face-to-face meeting since he got elected on November 4, Trump also praised Mamdani's electoral victory.

Trump Mamdani meeting live updates

"We've just had a great... very productive meeting. We have one thing in common. We want this city of ours (New York) that we love to do very well," Trump said in the Oval Office.

The US President also called Mamdani a 'rational person' and said that if New York could be unbelievable, he could be a spectacular success - "I would be very happy. I'll be cheering for him.”

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When asked if he still thinks Trump is a despot after White House meeting, Mamdani said, "I think both President Trump and I, we are very clear about our positions and our views'.

“And I've been called much worse than a despot, so it's not that insulting,” replied Trump, sparking laughter.

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US President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani react as they speak to members of the media in the Oval Office at the White House.
(REUTERS)

The two leaders have often targeted each other. Trump has called Mamdani a '100% Communist Lunatic', a Jew hater and a 'total nut job'. Whereas, Mamdani has called Trump's administration 'authoritarian' and described himself as 'Donald Trump's worst nightmare.'

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- We've just had a great meeting, a very productive meeting. We have one thing in common - We want this city of ours that we love to do very well.

- I want to congratulate the mayor. He really ran an incredible race against some very tough people, very smart people.

- I think he is going to surprise some conservative people, actually.

- We spoke about housing, food prices. We got the prices way down from last year.

- The better he does, the happier I am. We are going to be helping him to make everybody's dream come true. Having a strong and very safe New York.

- We had a meeting today that actually surprised me. He wants to see no crime, housing being built, rents coming down. We may disagree on how we get there [on policy]. I expect to be helping him, not hurting him. Because I want NYC to be great. Look, I love NYC. That's where I come from.

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- We talked about Con Edison. We have to work a little bit on getting the prices [down]... If we're sending them fuel at a much lower price than it was a year ago - which is true - we have to get Con Edison to start lowering their rates.

- He wants to have a safe New York. Ultimately, a safe New York is going to be a great New York. If you don't have safe streets, it's not going to be a success.

- There will be topics that we disagree on. I think we'll probably come to a conclusion. Ultimately, it's for the good of New York. If this city could be unbelievable - if he could be a spectacular success, I'd be very happy.

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- Appreciate the meeting with the President.

- It was a productive meeting focused on a place of shared admiration and love, which is New York City, and the need to deliver affordability to New Yorkers who are struggling to afford it in the most expensive city.

- We spoke about groceries, utility, different ways the people are being pushed. I appreciate the time and conversation with the president.

- I told the president that so much of the focus of the campaign has been on the cost of living - we spoke about the cost of living, healthcare and that's what we are going to work upon.

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