Overview
- Axios reports the president and Mayor Zohran Mamdani began exchanging texts soon after swapping numbers during their November Oval Office meeting, citing two sources familiar with the communications.
- The frequency and content of the messages remain unclear, and spokespeople for both men declined to comment to reporters.
- The New York Post separately reports the pair have been texting at least twice a week and describes the tone as friendly, a claim that is less corroborated than Axios' account.
- Mamdani previously said he held a separate discussion with the president about building affordable housing in New York after their initial meeting.
- Tensions rose after Mamdani told Trump he opposed U.S. strikes in Venezuela and the capture of Nicolás Maduro; Trump later said he was surprised by the criticism, suggesting the rapport has cooled.