Washington, DC [US], November 21 : White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday (local time) said that President Donald Trump is willing to "meet anyone" and try to do "what is right" on behalf of the American people, as New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is set to meet Trump in the Oval Office, at the White House, on Friday.
White House also renewed the attack on Mamdani ahead of his meeting, describing him as a "communist".
"... The President issued a statement that the Mayor-elect will be coming to the Oval Office tomorrow, so our teams are arranging those details... It speaks volumes that tomorrow we have a Communist coming to the White House, because that's who the Democrat Party elected as the Mayor of the largest city in the country," Leavitt told reporters during a briefing.
The White House Press Secretary claimed that New York City is turning much more "Left" than the President even anticipated.
"It's very telling but it also speaks to the fact that President Trump is willing to meet with anyone and talk to anyone and try to do what's right on behalf of the American people, whether they live in blue states or red states or blue cities and the city which is becoming much more Left than the President ever anticipated in his many years of living in New York himself," she added.
Earlier on Wednesday (local time), US President Donald Trump announced that New York City's mayor-elect, Zohran "Kwame" Mamdani, is scheduled to meet him at the Oval Office on Friday.
In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote, "Communist Mayor of New York City, Zohran 'Kwame' Mamdani, has asked for a meeting. We have agreed that this meeting will take place at the Oval Office on Friday, November 21st. Further details to follow!"
The announcement follows months of sharp public exchanges between the two.
According to The New York Times, Mamdani's team recently reached out to the White House to seek a meeting focused on New York's affordability crisis, signalling a shift in tone after their confrontational campaign season.
During his campaign, Mamdani had described Trump as a threat to democracy and said he alone had the "backbone" to challenge him.