WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – On Sunday, President Donald Trump announced his intention to meet with New York City’s mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani, suggesting a potential collaboration despite their past political disagreements. This meeting could signal a thaw in the tense relations between the Republican leader and the rising Democratic figure, who have often positioned themselves as adversaries.

For several months, Trump has criticized Mamdani, accusing him without basis of being a “communist” and forecasting disaster for New York if Mamdani, a democratic socialist, assumed office. Trump also made threats to deport Mamdani, who was originally from Uganda and is now a naturalized American citizen, and considered withdrawing federal funding from the city.

Mamdani emerged from relative obscurity as a state legislator to become a significant social media presence and a symbol of opposition to Trump during his run for mayor. His campaign was built on progressive policies and a strong stance against the anti-immigrant measures implemented by Trump in his second term.

The 34-year-old managed to capture the support of a diverse range of New Yorkers, defeating the well-established political figure, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, by a margin of nearly 9 percentage points.

During his victory speech on election night, Mamdani expressed his desire for New York to lead the way in resisting the president. However, the next day, while discussing his strategies for “Trump-proofing” the city once he assumes office in January, Mamdani also emphasized his willingness to collaborate with anyone, including Trump, if it would benefit New Yorkers.

Representatives for Mamdani did not have an immediate comment Sunday night on the president’s remarks, but a spokesperson pointed to the mayor-elect’s remarks last week when he said he planned to reach out to the White House “because this is a relationship that will be critical to the success of the city.”

Trump expressed a similar sentiment on Sunday.

“The mayor of New York, I will say, would like to meet with us. We’ll work something out,” Trump told reporters as he prepared to fly back to Washington after spending the weekend in Florida.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified shortly after that Trump was referring to Mamdani and said no date had been set for such a meeting.

“We want to see everything work out well for New York,” Trump said.

Trump’s comments came as he also said the U.S. may hold discussions soon with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, after a military buildup near the South American country: “I’ll talk to anybody,” Trump said.

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Price reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Jake Offenhartz in New York contributed to this report.