Obama meets with Mamdani in The Bronx

Former President Barack Obama and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani met for the first time in-person Saturday, in a moment that was not announced publicly ahead of time.

“Today, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and President Barack Obama read to a group of toddlers at Learning Through Play Pre-K Center in the South Bronx,” a City Hall statement read. “In between singing wheels on the bus, the two leaders discussed the Mayor’s vision for the City and the importance of giving New York’s Cutest the strongest start possible.”

While two of the Democratic party’s biggest names were all smiles as they read to kids, Mamdani was critical of Obama in the past.

In 2013, when Obama was still in office, Mamdani referred to Obama as “pretty damn evil” in a social media post.

Obama did not endorse Mamdani’s campaign, but spoke with the future mayor just before his victory, with a phone call in November. Their first time in the same room, nearly six months later, comes as Mamdani’s unlikely relationship with President Donald Trump is showing signs of strain in recent days.

Trump accused Mamdani of “destroying New York” in a Truth Social post Thursday. He also accused the mayor of running people out of the city.

“I mean, he’s a nice guy. Calls me all the time, says hi, but his policies are no good,” Trump said. “He’s chasing people out and causing a lot of harm to everybody, I mean, everybody’s taxes are going through the roof.”

Asked how he felt about Trump’s Truth Social post, Mamdani says he’s interested in what New Yorkers think about his policies. The rift developed after Gov. Kathy Hochul’s surprise announcement this week that she will support a so-called pied-à-terre tax, as proposed by Hochul and Mamdani, that would apply a surcharge to anyone with a second home in New York City valued above $5 million.