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Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday praised the meeting between US President Donald Trump and New York Mayor-elect Zoharan Mamdani, saying, “This is how democracy should work.” He described the unexpectedly cordial meeting between Trump and Mamdani as an example of how political rivals should behave after an election.
Responding to the rare moment of cooperation in Washington, Tharoor wrote on Twitter, “This is how democracy should work. Fight for your vision in elections with passion, without rhetoric.”
Tharoor said, “But once this is over, and the people have spoken, learn to cooperate with each other in the common interests of the country you both have pledged to serve. I would love to see more of this in India – and I am trying to play my part.”
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala reacted to Tharoor’s remarks. He said in a post on
Trump met Mamdani
Tharoor’s comments came a day after Trump met Mamdani at the White House, a meeting that drew attention for their heated exchange during the New York mayoral campaign. Mamdani had previously described himself as “Donald Trump’s worst nightmare”, while Trump called him a “100 percent communist maniac” and a “complete maniac”.
However, the atmosphere inside the Oval Office on Friday was completely different. The two leaders appeared cooperative, repeatedly emphasizing their shared interest in housing, affordability and inflation, issues that dominated Mamdani’s campaign and also feature prominently in Trump’s 2024 message.
Trump said he was “surprised” by how constructive the meeting was. Describing the discussion as “great”, he said that Mamdani was “really going to surprise some conservative people.”
With Mamdani at his side, Trump told reporters, “We’re going to help them realize everybody’s dream, to have a strong and very safe New York.”
Mamdani also struck a supportive tone, saying he appreciated that the meeting was focused on “shared purpose” rather than ideological disagreements. “There are many places where we disagree, but what matters today is serving New Yorkers,” he said.
Trump rejected Mamdani’s past criticism of his deportation policies and accusations that he acted like an autocrat, saying executive responsibility often reshapes a leader’s outlook.
Throughout the press conference, Trump repeatedly moved to dodge challenging questions directed at Mamdani.
When a reporter asked Mamdani about past comments comparing Trump to a fascist, Trump interjected, “I’ve been called worse than an autocrat.”
Moments later, when asked if he still believed Trump was a fascist, Trump again said, “That’s OK. You can just say yes. OK? That’s easy. Even easier than explaining it. I don’t mind.”
When questioned about choosing to fly to Washington rather than take a low-emissions trip, he defended Mamdani, saying, “I will stand up for you.”
Mamdani, who will take over in January, said he called for the meeting to discuss how the federal government can help ease affordability pressures in New York City. While Trump had previously accused them of being “communists” and threatened to restrict federal support, he struck a different tone on Friday, acknowledging the earlier threats but saying, “We don’t want that to happen. I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
He also supported Mamdani when questioned about choosing to fly to Washington instead of using a low-emissions means of travel. “I will stand up for you,” Trump said.
Trump had played an aggressive role in the mayoral race, endorsing Andrew Cuomo and warning that New York had “zero chance of success” under Mamdani. He also questioned Mamdani’s citizenship and suggested he could be arrested if he refused to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
Mamdani slammed Cuomo, calling him a “puppet” of the president and asserting during a debate, “I am Donald Trump’s worst nightmare, as a progressive Muslim immigrant who actually fights for the things I believe in.”
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