‘You can just say yes, I don’t mind’: Trump unfazed as Mamdani stands by ‘fascist’ label | WATCH

Washington: President Donald Trump adopted an unexpectedly relaxed tone during a meeting with New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, telling him he would be “okay” if Mamdani continued to call him a “fascist” — a label the incoming mayor had used previously on the campaign trail, CNN reported.

When a reporter pressed Mamdani on whether he still stood by that characterisation, he began to answer, “I’ve spoken about it…,” before Trump cut in.

“That’s okay. You can just say yes. It’s easier than explaining it. I don’t mind,” the president said.

Earlier today, Trump described his Oval Office meeting with Mamdani as “great” and “very productive,” according to CNN. A New York native himself, the president congratulated Mamdani on his victory and said the two had found common ground on several major issues, including housing development and rising food costs.

“We’ve just had a great meeting, a really good, very productive meeting. One thing in common, we want this city of ours that we love to do very well,” Trump told reporters. “And I congratulated him, and we talked about some things in very strong common, like housing and getting housing built, and food prices. The price of oil is coming way down.”

Trump also offered a noteworthy gesture of goodwill, suggesting Mamdani might upend expectations across the political spectrum.

“I think you’re going to have, hopefully, a really great mayor. The better he does, the happier I am. I will say there’s no difference in party. I think he is going to surprise some conservative people, actually, and some very liberal people,” he said, as per CNN.

Standing alongside the president, Mamdani echoed Trump’s assessment, calling the discussion highly constructive and centred on addressing New Yorkers’ cost-of-living pressures.

“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,” Mamdani said, according to CNN.

He added that they discussed the key factors driving residents out of the city — from rising rents to the increasing costs of groceries and utilities.

“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. I appreciated the time with the president, I appreciated the conversation, and I look forward to working together to deliver that affordability for New Yorkers,” the mayor-elect said.