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He followed up with a statement clearly intended to balance his base’s expectations with political reality. He said he plans to tell President Trump: “I’m here to work for the benefit of everyone that calls the city home, and that wherever there is a possibility for working together toward that end, I’m ready, and if [the administration’s policies] are to the expense of those New Yorkers, I will fight.”
When pressed on whether the White House had anything to say about Mamdani’s attempt to open a dialogue, press secretary Karoline Leavitt didn’t bite. “I’ll let the president respond himself to that comment by Mr. Mamdani,” she told The Post — a diplomatic answer that also made it clear Trump is the one controlling the tempo here.
The tension between Trump and Mamdani didn’t start overnight. Ahead of the November 4 election, Trump warned that a Mamdani victory could lead to federal consequences. He even said he would consider withholding funding or stepping in directly if New York elected a “Communist.” And once Mamdani won, Trump didn’t exactly roll out a welcome mat — but his tone noticeably shifted.
In his first comments after the election, Trump said, “I hope it works out for New York” and “we’ll help him a little bit, maybe.” Speaking to Fox News host Bret Baier, Trump added a pointed reminder: “He has to be a little bit respectful of Washington because if he’s not, he doesn’t have a chance of succeeding… I want to make the city succeed.”
Trump also made it clear he has no plans to initiate the conversation. According to the president, “it would be more appropriate for him to reach out to us.” With a short, blunt closer, Trump summarized his position: “I’m here.”
Meanwhile, Mamdani admitted he’s been consulting with Gov. Kathy Hochul to figure out how to deal with Trump’s aggressive posture. That alone suggests the incoming administration is bracing for serious friction rather than smooth cooperation.
But the biggest development inside Mamdani’s inner circle may be his newest staffing decision: reinstating Elle Bisgaard-Church, his longtime adviser and the progressive strategist widely credited as the “chief architect” of his controversial public-safety overhaul. Bisgaard-Church helped develop Mamdani’s plan to dispatch social workers — not police — to certain 911 calls. The idea sparked widespread criticism from law-enforcement groups and residents already fed up with the city’s crime crisis.
Bisgaard-Church, an Ivy-League-educated activist with ties to the DSA, will once again serve as Mamdani’s chief adviser at City Hall. CBS News noted she played a key role in shaping his messaging and designing the Department of Community Safety — an entirely new bureaucracy that would cost roughly $1.1 billion, according to the campaign’s own projections.
The proposal would assign mental-health workers to respond to non-violent emergencies, especially in subway stations, instead of NYPD officers. Fox News reported that Bisgaard-Church consulted mental-health professionals, public-safety officials, and even former NYPD Chief of Department Rodney Harrison while developing the plan. Whether any of them endorsed it remains another question.
Bisgaard-Church also served as a central link between Mamdani and the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. She organized weekly strategy sessions with the group during the campaign — a coordination effort that played a major role in his victory.
With Mamdani preparing to call Trump while simultaneously filling City Hall with hardcore DSA loyalists, New Yorkers are left wondering what kind of administration they’re about to get — a mayor ready to work with Washington, or one run by far-left operatives whose agenda may collide head-on with a second Trump presidency.
