Mamdani Explains His Relationship With Trump on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani revealed on the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" broadcast that his relationship with President Trump is founded on a mutual appreciation for the city and a shared interest in development projects.

Mamdani, appearing on the ABC late-night show's special New York City run at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Howard Gilman Opera House, told host Jimmy Kimmel that the core of their connection lies in their agreement on the importance of New York.

"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 stated. He explained that his approach to meetings with Trump, whether at the White House or Gracie Mansion, has been to focus on tangible improvements for New Yorkers rather than personal differences.

During their discussions, Mamdani and Trump have particularly bonded over the Sunnyside Yards redevelopment proposal, a project aimed at constructing housing over a rail yard. Mamdani shared that he texts the president periodically regarding this initiative and other efforts to "deliver for the city."

He also noted that text messages from Trump maintain standard punctuation and capitalization, a contrast to the president's public posts on social media. Mamdani declined Kimmel's invitation to take a selfie with Trump during the show.

The broadcast also featured appearances by comedian Pete Davidson and musician TV On The Radio. Other notable guests scheduled for the weeklong "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" engagement include Paul McCartney, Billy Crystal, Howard Stern, and Mahershala Ali.

The show's return to New York marked its eighth annual weeklong broadcast in the city. Previously, Kimmel's show had faced a brief suspension by Disney after the host made controversial remarks regarding Charlie Kirk, which ABC stated would lead to indefinite preemption. Kimmel later returned to the air, asserting his comments were not intended to trivialize Kirk's death. Kimmel also claimed that ABC opted not to air a recent interview with Texas Senate hopeful James Talarico due to threats from Trump's Federal Communications Commission.

Mamdani reaffirmed his commitment to New York City when asked by Kimmel about potentially becoming the mayor of Los Angeles.