New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said Sunday that he stands by past statements in which he referred [1] to President Donald Trump as a “fascist,” reiterating the remark during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Mamdani’s comments came after he and President Trump met in the Oval Office last week.
During the interview, host Kristen Welker referenced the joint press conference Mamdani held with the president.
Welker noted that a reporter had asked Mamdani whether he believed President Trump was a fascist, a characterization Mamdani had used previously.
Welker said Mamdani began to answer before President Trump interjected, telling him, “That’s okay. You can just say yes. It’s easier than explaining it.”
Funniest. President. EVER!
REPORTER TO ZOHRAN MAMDANI: “Are you affirming you think President Trump is a FASCIST?”
MAMDANI: “I’ve-”
PRESIDENT TRUMP: “-that’s OK. You can just say YES. It’s easier than explaining it, I don’t mind.” *Pats Mamdani on the back*
OMG pic.twitter.com/vBnM9dMi8k [2]
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 21, 2025 [3]
Welker then asked Mamdani directly, “So, Mr. Mayor-Elect, just to be very clear, do you think that President Trump is a fascist?”
Mamdani replied, “And after President Trump said that, I said, ‘yes.’”
Welker followed up. “So you do?”
Mamdani said, “That’s something that I’ve said in the past, I say it today. And I think what I appreciated about the conversation that I had with the president was that we were not shy about the places of disagreement about the politics that has brought us to this moment. And we also wanted to focus on what it could look like to deliver on a shared analysis of an affordability crisis for New Yorkers.”
Welker also asked Mamdani about earlier comments in which he said President Trump engaged in an “attack on our democracy” and referred to him as a “despot.”
She asked whether he still believed that President Trump is a threat to democracy.
Mamdani answered, “Everything that I’ve said in the past, I continue to believe.”
NEW: Zohran Mamdani says he still believes Trump is a “fascist” and a “threat to democracy” after his White House meeting pic.twitter.com/KIlogfW0ox [4]
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) November 23, 2025 [5]
The interview marked Mamdani’s first extended national appearance following his Oval Office meeting with President Trump.
Mamdani, who will take office as mayor of New York City in January, has previously criticized the president on multiple fronts, including his approach to governance and his handling of national political disputes.
During the NBC interview, he did not retract or revise any of those earlier statements.
Mamdani said the meeting with President Trump included areas of discussion where the two disagreed, along with areas where both focused on issues affecting New York City residents.
He said the conversation included discussion of affordability challenges facing the city.
President Trump, who answered several questions alongside Mamdani during the press conference, did not revisit the subject during the NBC segment.
The exchange on “Meet the Press” centered on Mamdani’s past remarks and whether he intended to amend or clarify them following his meeting with the president. Mamdani said his views were unchanged.