Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent praised New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and his campaign despite criticizing Mamdani’s vision for the Big Apple.
Mamdani has appointed hundreds of people to transition committees as he prepares to take the mayor’s office next year, with some of them advising him on how to enact the affordability agenda he campaigned on. The mayor-elect met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Friday, to which Bessent said there is “some admiration” for someone running a campaign like Mamdani’s.
“It was a great, great campaign. He is clearly the leader of the Democratic Party now, and I think it speaks to how open-minded the president is that he invited him into the Oval Office. Senator Schumer never endorsed him, I don’t even know if he’s met with him, and President Trump wants the best for New Yorkers,” Bessent said on CNBC’s SquawkBox.
Bessent said his impression of Mamdani is “a young man with a lot of old ideas that have never worked.” He asked for examples of where policies such as Mamdani’s campaign promises have been effective and not led to a “decline.”
“It’s easy to run a campaign, but the practical everyday of keeping people safe, picking up the trash, making the subways run on time, we’ll see,” Bessent said.
Like Bessent, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has also deemed Mamdani a leader within the Democratic Party and encouraged other Democrats to campaign on his platform in the 2026 midterm elections. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), meanwhile, expressed more caution in aligning his party with Mamdani, saying the party needs to ensure “we’re communicating to the American people.”
Before New York’s mayoral election, Trump vowed he would withhold federal funding from the city if Mamdani emerged victorious. Since then, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett indicated on Sunday that Trump will “wait and see” what Mamdani does.
CUOMO’s MESSAGE FOR DEMOCRATS FUELS SPECULATION ABOUT NATIONAL AMBITIONS
Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) said on Monday that the Big Apple is in a “better place” following Mamdani’s meeting with Trump.
The Washington Examiner contacted Mamdani’s transition team for comment.