Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Monday that a shared affection for New York City is the key to his unexpectedly warm rapport with President Trump, offering the explanation during a special New York edition of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Mamdani, known for his sharp social media presence, appeared with host Jimmy Kimmel as the ABC late-night program began its eighth annual week of shows from the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Howard Gilman Opera House.
Kimmel, a vocal Trump critic, asked Mamdani how the two had managed to establish such an unlikely political connection, including during Trump’s visit to Gracie Mansion earlier this month. The mayor’s answer was straightforward, he said.
“The president and I have many disagreements, but one thing we do agree on is this city and how much we love this city,” Mamdani told Kimmel.
Mamdani said he approached their first meeting in November of last year by focusing on how the encounter could benefit New Yorkers rather than either politician personally. “How can we spend that time talking about the things that could make life in this city a little bit easier?” he recalled. He said that priority has remained consistent during meetings at both the White House and Gracie Mansion.
The mayor also said he and Trump, who grew up in Queens, have connected over the proposed Sunnyside Yards redevelopment. The plan calls for building a platform over an active rail yard and constructing 12,000 homes above it. Mamdani added that a widely circulated video showing him slowly blinking as Trump spoke to reporters during the Gracie Mansion visit reflected his focus on the Queens project.
Mamdani said he messages Trump “from time to time” about Sunnyside Yards and efforts to “deliver for the city.” However, he declined Kimmel’s invitation to send the president a selfie of the two men onstage.
DISCOVER MORE: Food Safety Emerges as Election Issue Amid Major Outbreaks and Recalls
The mayor also shared one unexpected detail: Trump’s text messages to him use standard capitalization and punctuation, unlike many of the president’s posts on Truth Social.
Kimmel asked whether Mamdani might consider becoming mayor of Los Angeles after his time leading New York. Mamdani turned down the idea, saying his heart belongs to New York City.
Comedian Pete Davidson and musician TV on the Radio also joined the Brooklyn taping, a change of scenery for a program that is usually filmed in California.
The remaining guests scheduled during the five-day BAM run include Paul McCartney, Billy Crystal, Howard Stern and Mahershala Ali.
Kimmel returned earlier this month for the show’s 4,000th episode, using the occasion to criticize Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr after coming back from a summer hiatus.
Disney briefly pulled “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from the schedule after Kimmel made controversial comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk. The remarks triggered widespread backlash, and ABC initially said the program would be preempted indefinitely.
The host returned to television several days later and said he had never intended to make light of Kirk’s death.
Kimmel, 58, has also said ABC decided not to broadcast a recent interview with James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for the Texas Senate, because of threats from Trump’s FCC.
