Surprise Oval Office Meeting

In this episode, Sarah and Anthony unpack one of the most surprising political moments of the year - when New York’s incoming mayor Zohran Mamdani met Donald Trump in the Oval Office. After weeks of insulting each other during the mayoral campaign, Republicans and Democrats are still reacting to what turned out to be a very amicable and friendly meeting.

Trump has promised to help Mamdani make New York City a success, and “great again”, but what does this actually mean, and will the US president do it? We also look at how Mamdani will be navigating the wider politics of being a mayor, particularly with midterm elections in 2026. In New York state, can Mamdani persuade his Democratic governor to put up taxes for the wealthiest? And how will he balance maintaining good relations with both Trump and Demoratic socialists in New York?

Meanwhile, with Trump’s ally Elise Stefanik running for governor, how will the Republican campaign deal with the president’s new attitude towards Mamdani?

Sarah and Anthony are joined by Nick Reisman, POLITICO’s Albany Bureau Chief and New York politics expert.

HOSTS:

- Sarah Smith, North America Editor - Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent

GUEST:

- Nick Reisman, Albany Bureau Chief for Politico

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This episode was made by George Dabby with Adriana Urbano. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

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