New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is set to meet US President Donald Trump in the White House on Friday, in what could be a confrontation between two leaders who have been at odds for months.
In a media conference on Thursday, Mr Mamdani, 34, a Democratic socialist who swept the city's mayoral election this month, said he was not concerned about the meeting.
"I know that for tens of thousands of New Yorkers, this meeting is between two very different candidates who they voted for the same reason: they wanted a leader who would take on the cost of living crisis that makes it impossible for working people to afford living in the city," he said.
"I'm not concerned about this meeting. I view this meeting as an opportunity for me to make my case."
In a post on Truth Social late on Wednesday, Mr Trump announced the meeting, saying it came at Mr Mamdani's request.
Mr Mamdani won the mayor's race in a campaign heavily focused on the city’s cost-of-living crisis, promising to lower housing and food prices to help working-class families in New York. He also vowed to fight against the policies of the Trump administration, including his ant-immigration stance.
The mayor-elect has also been an outspoken critic of Israel's war on Gaza, which he has called a genocide.
The Republican US President, meanwhile, has been railing against Mr Mamdani, calling him a "communist lunatic" and warning that New York City, his hometown, would descend into chaos should he win.
Mr Trump has threatened to withhold federal money from the city and to deport Mr Mamdani, a Muslim-American citizen who was born in Uganda.
Previous Oval Office meetings between Mr Trump and world leaders have descended into full-on confrontations. He berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskkyy in February, saying he was not thankful enough to the US. In May, he ambushed South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa, claiming falsely that there was a "white genocide" in South Africa.
"I have many disagreements with the President," Mr Mamdani told journalists. "And I believe that we should be relentless and pursue all avenues and all meetings that could make our city affordable for every single New Yorker.
"I intend to make it clear to President Trump that I will work with him on any agenda that benefits New Yorkers."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday declined to offer more details of the coming meeting.
"It speaks volumes that tomorrow we have a communist coming to the White House, because that's who the Democratic party elected as the mayor of the largest city in the country," Ms Leavitt told journalists. "I think it's very telling, but I also think it speaks to the fact that President Trump is willing to meet with anyone and talk to anyone, and to try to do what's right on behalf of the American people."
