(MENAFN) New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani told President Donald Trump on Friday that residents of the city want their tax dollars redirected away from “endless wars” and toward addressing urgent domestic challenges.

Standing beside the president after their Oval Office meeting, Mamdani explained that many voters who supported Trump last November shared the same frustrations. “When I spoke to New Yorkers who had voted for the president last November on Hillside Avenue and Fordham Road, I asked them why? I heard again and again two major reasons. One was that they wanted an end to forever wars … and they wanted to address the cost-of-living crisis,” he said.

When asked about previous remarks regarding U.S. involvement in Israel’s actions in Gaza, Mamdani reaffirmed his position, saying, “I’ve spoken about the Israeli government committing genocide, and I’ve spoken about our government funding it.”

He added that residents across the city want their taxes used “to go towards the benefit of New Yorkers and their ability to afford basic dignity.”

Pointing to mounting social pressures, Mamdani noted that New York is experiencing “the ninth consecutive year of more than 100,000 school children being homeless,” stressing the urgent need for policy follow-through. “Here's a desperate need, not only for the following of human rights, but also the following through on the promises we've made. New Yorkers.”

Mamdani described how even Trump-leaning constituents he met — such as a pharmacist in Jamaica, Queens — expressed deep fatigue with U.S. military interventions abroad. “People were tired of seeing our tax dollars fund endless wars,” he said, adding, “I also believe that we have to follow through on the international human rights, and I know that still today, those are being violated.”

Calling his discussion with the president “productive,” Mamdani emphasized that their shared concerns centered on the city itself. “I appreciated the meeting with the president, as he said, it was a productive meeting focused on a place of shared admiration and love, New York City.” He continued, “We spoke about rent, we spoke about groceries, we spoke about utilities. We spoke about the different ways in which people are being pushed out.”

Mamdani, 34, recently made history as the first Muslim and South Asian mayor of the country’s largest city after defeating several high-profile contenders on a platform prioritizing affordability and expanded public services.

Though Trump had repeatedly criticized the democratic socialist as a “communist” during the campaign and threatened to pull federal funding if Mamdani won, their in-person meeting appeared far more cordial. Both described the conversation as “productive,” and Trump concluded with, “The better he does, the happier I am.”

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