Mamdani and Obama meet face-to-face in New York City
Mamdani and Obama meet face-to-face in New York City
On Saturday, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani hosted former President Barack Obama at a childcare center in the Bronx. The encounter marked their first in-person meeting, during which the two leaders interacted with children and parents in the early childhood education facility. They also joined a group of students in the room, reading from a children’s book as the children sat on the floor.
“As they sang the wheels on the bus, the leaders discussed the Mayor’s vision for the City and the importance of giving New York’s Cutest the strongest start possible,” said Joe Calvello, Mamdani’s press secretary, in a statement.
Mamdani, a democratic socialist, campaigned on creating the city’s first universal childcare program. His administration has already secured state funding to expand the existing universal pre-K initiative and to provide childcare for a limited number of two-year-olds starting next fall.
Before the public reading session, Mamdani and Obama held a private meeting, according to a source involved in the planning. The meeting was arranged swiftly after Obama’s expected visit to the city this weekend, with both teams eager to connect since Mamdani’s November election.
Earlier in the week, Obama and Mamdani spoke prior to Election Day, as revealed by three sources. The former president encouraged Mamdani, whom he didn’t endorse in 2025, to focus on hiring qualified staff for his administration. The conversation offered Mamdani insight into the distinction between running a campaign and managing a city, a source told CNN at the time.
Despite his progressive platform, Mamdani has previously met with President Donald Trump twice. Their meetings, described as collegial, took place last year and earlier this year. However, Trump recently criticized Mamdani’s new pied-à-terre tax, calling it “destroying” New York. The policy requires residents with second homes valued over $5 million to pay a surcharge.
Mamdani hasn’t confirmed whether he has spoken to Trump since the social media backlash, but he expressed no surprise at the former president’s disagreement. Politico first reported the details of the meeting.
CNN’s Edward-Isaac Dovere contributed to this report.
