(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) President Donald Trump interjected with humor during a press gaggle in the Oval Office Friday after a reporter asked New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani whether he still believed Trump was a “fascist.”
The moment drew laughter from reporters and viewers online as Trump shut down the question and pushed Mamdani to answer directly.
“Are you affirming that you think President Trump is a fascist?” a journalist asked Mamdani.
As the self-described democratic socialist began to respond, Trump jumped in, saying: “That’s okay. You can just say yes. That’s easier. It’s easier than explaining. I don’t mind.”
Mamdani nodded his head affirmatively to answer the question.
Donald Trump told incoming New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani 'you can just say yes' after a reporter asked if he considered the US president a fascist during their first White House meeting https://t.co/8Hqv9eiYto pic.twitter.com/Sb17VbcX2I
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 21, 2025
Days later, Mamdani repeated the claim on NBC News’s Meet the Press with host Kristen Welker.
“Mr. Mayor-Elect, just to be very clear, do you think that President Trump is a fascist?” Welker asked.
Mamdani quickly responded, “And after President Trump said that, I said, ‘yes.’”
The meeting between the two Queens natives surprised many, given the stark differences in their political views.
In his NBC interview, Mamdani called the meeting “productive.”
He added that the conversation with Trump signaled “an opportunity to now start to deliver so that people can do more than just aspire to struggle in New York City, but actually to be able to live there.”
Welker: Do you think that President Trump is a fascist?
Mamdani: That’s something that I’ve said in the past. I say it today.
Welker: You’ve called him a despot. Do you still believe President Trump is a threat to the democracy?
Mamdani: Everything that I’ve said in the past,… pic.twitter.com/Qa7H5ej9er
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 23, 2025
