Mary Trump Disagrees With Zohran Mamdani's Tactic of Hosting Donald Trump

Mary Trump, the psychologist, author and niece of President Donald Trump, says she disagrees with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's decision to host her uncle at Gracie Mansion. But she also said she does not think the Democratic mayor's motives are bad and that he "played" the president.

She made the comments on a crossover episode of The Mary Trump Podcast, recorded as a Substack interview while Trump addressed the United Nations General Assembly, the day after he visited the mayor's official residence on Monday. It was the pair's third face-to-face meeting in less than a year.

Mary Trump on Mamdani: 'You Do Not Make Common Cause With Fascists'

Asked about the relationship, Mary Trump drew a firm line on principle.

"I get that Mamdani has his motives that are probably good ones, but the idea of normalizing this person, of inviting him into your home, of shaking his hand, my stance on this is pretty black and white. You do not make common cause with fascists," she said.

She then qualified the criticism. "I don't think that Mamdani's motives are bad at all," she said, adding, "I disagree with the tactic." She also conceded, "it's working for him," and said "it'll redound to New York's benefit."

"So he's just being used and I don't have a problem with that. I have a problem with the number of people who might feel that Donald is being normal." — Mary Trump

Her concern, she said, is how voters read the pictures: "Well, hey, if Mamdani's hanging out with him, how bad could he possibly be? That's my concern."

'Mamdani Played Him': Flattery and the Mock Front Page

Mary Trump said the meetings show "how superficial and easily manipulable" the president is. She said the president craves flattery and can spot strong people, and noted, "I'm not comparing Mamdani to Putin or Kim Jong Un other than, you know, he's a legitimately strong leader and he's a very good one."

"And Mamdani played him," she said, recalling a mock-up New York Post article with a flattering headline that she said the mayor brought to their first meeting. (Her recollection was mistaken: the prop was a New York Daily News cover reading "Trump to City: Let's Build," a play on the 1975 "Ford to City: Drop Dead" headline, presented at their second meeting, on February 26.)

Trump–Mamdani Timeline: What Each Side Got

Before their first meeting, Trump had called Mamdani a "communist" and threatened to withhold New York's federal funding. After they met, Trump said "we're going to be helping him to make everybody's dream come true."

Mamdani is seeking at least $21 billion in federal grants to build 12,000 homes over Sunnyside Yard in Queens. At Gracie Mansion, Trump acknowledged the project would need federal approvals and probably some federal money.

Even in the friendliest stretches, the relationship has had sharp edges. During his State of the Union address, Trump called Mamdani "the new communist mayor of New York City" before adding, "I think he's a nice guy, actually."

Mamdani defended the meeting at a news conference. "I committed over the course of the campaign, as well as while being in office, that I would meet with anyone, work with anyone that could deliver for New Yorkers," he said.

How Other Democrats Have Responded

Mary Trump's position is stricter than those of the state's leading Democrats. Before the first meeting, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said, "I think we let Zohran lead." After it, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said, "I'll work with the President when it benefits New Yorkers, and I'll fight like hell when our values are at stake."

Mamdani himself has not softened his view of the president. Two days after their first meeting, he said on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Nov. 23, 2025, that he still believes Trump is a threat to democracy and a despot. "Everything that I've said in the past, I continue to believe," he said.

What Comes Next

The meetings come as Trump's standing remains weak. His approval sits at 37.6 percent, with 59.1 percent disapproving, in PolitiKool's polling average.

The unresolved question is whether the Sunnyside Yard talks produce federal money before the midterms, or whether, as Mary Trump fears, the handshakes do more for the president's image than for New York.