Despite developing a sort of kinship with President Donald Trump, New York Democratic Socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani has decided to double down on the Big Apple’s “sanctuary city” status, even after the president threatened to cut off federal funds, which many claim is the first big test for the cordial, delicately formed friendship.
“I will continue to make the case for New York City, and I think that’s been at the heart of every conversation that I’ve had with the president, whether it’s a local office or through a handful of texts and calls to the exchange,” Mamdani went on to say during an unrelated event in January 2026 at a Brooklyn child care center.
“It’s always about making the case for the city,” he said to reporters at the event. “And when it comes to the threat to restrict federal funding to New York City, I want to be very clear that our values in our laws are not bargaining chips.” President Trump has said that he will freeze federal funding to cities and states, New York included, at the beginning of February for doing “everything possible to protect criminals.”
“It breeds fraud and crime and all of the other problems that come,” Trump said, according to the New York Post. “So, we’re not making any payment to anybody that supports sanctuary cities.” The report goes on to say the standoff between the two men could be the first trial in the pair’s marginal thawing of hostility.
Mamdani, in fact, revealed that he is still on friendly terms with President Trump, noting that he talks to him at least twice a week via text messages. He said that he reached out to the commander-in-chief about his latest threat to cut funding from New York.
“I reached out to President Trump to express my sharp opposition to this decision and to make my values clear, and I will always continue to do so, whether to the president or to all New Yorkers, to be honest about where I actually stand,” he stated after reporters asked about the threat at a news conference. “I have yet to hear back from the president, and this is the position I hold as the mayor of New York.”
The Post said that both men have had exchanges following the rather friendly meeting they had in November 2025. Most experts believed that Mamdani and Trump would get into verbal fisticuffs during their face-to-face meeting, but were ultimately shocked when the pair exited the closed-door meeting and shook hands, exchanging a series of friendly words.
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“He’s different than your typical guy,” Trump went on to say at the time, saying that Mamdani “has a chance to really do something great for New York.” Sources told The Post that the two men are on friendly terms and check in with each other often. “It wouldn’t make practical, political sense for them to scream at each other — in public or private,” one insider explained. “Of course, they can’t appear too cozy.”
The sources then added, “Mamdani would be smart to kiss Trump’s a**. Especially when the federal government can withhold billions from the city.” However, with the latest threat by the president to potentially cut NYC’s federal funding, a change in tone could be on the horizon. The Big Apple, Trump’s hometown, has consistently proved to be a sore spot for the president, tossing out a constant barrage of criticism toward him over his crackdown on illegal immigration.
Cities and states that have implemented sanctuary policies have, for the most part, placed strict limitations on local law enforcement departments to prevent them from rendering much-needed assistance to federal immigration operations, making it more difficult for President Trump to arrest and deport those in the country without legal permission.
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