(AFP) – New York mayoral election winner Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani said Wednesday that he was ready to engage with his arch-critic President Donald Trump on the issue of cost of living. The Muslim-American lawmaker, whose rapid ascent from rank outsider to mayor-elect has stunned observers, joked at a briefing that the “White House hasn’t reached out to congratulate me.”
“I continue to be interested in having a conversation with President Trump on the ways in which we can work together to serve New Yorkers,” he said, suggesting “delivering on his campaign promises around cost of living” as one. Mamdani, like Trump, put the high cost of living, impact of inflation, and elevated grocery expenses at the heart of his campaign, which triumphed over former governor Andrew Cuomo’s platform.
“I think the lesson for the president is that it’s not enough to diagnose the crisis in working-class Americans’ lives. You have to deliver on addressing that crisis.” Mamdani called out Trump for his own campaign promises to address the soaring cost of groceries, but seeking to suspend food assistance while in office under the government shutdown.
After winning on promises to make city bus travel free, control rents, and offer free childcare, Mamdani said, “what scares Republicans across the country is the fact that we will actually deliver on this agenda.” Mamdani on Wednesday introduced the five women who will co-chair his transition. Among them is Lina Khan, chair of the Federal Trade Commission under Joe Biden, and Maria Torres-Springer, who resigned her post as deputy mayor under outgoing mayor Eric Adams due to his engagement with Trump.
© 2024 AFP
