Former President Barack Obama met with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani for the first time on Saturday at a Bronx child care center where they read to preschoolers and led a singalong.
The meeting comes as Mamdani, a democratic socialist, is also trying to build a working relationship with Republican President Donald Trump. It comes just more than a week after Mamdani marked his 100th day in office.
“Today, President Barack Obama and I read to a group of toddlers at Learning Through Play Pre-K Center in the South Bronx. In between singing wheels on the bus, we discussed our administration’s vision for this City — one where New York’s Cutest have the strongest start possible,” Mamdani said on X.
In their first public appearance together, they did not take questions after reading the book “Alone and Together” to the tots and leading a sing-along of “The Wheels on the Bus.”
“Great spending time with New York City’s Cutest. And thanks to @NYCMayor for giving me an excuse to break out my best “Wheels on the Bus”,” Obama said on X.
The former two-term president and standard bearer for the Democratic Party has offered to be a sounding board for Mamdani, 34, whose star power, youth and progressive agenda have made him standout in Democratic politics.
Mamdani took office in January after a campaign centered on making New York City a more affordable place to live, centering his agenda on refocusing the power of government toward helping the city’s struggling working class.
Obama called Mamdani in November to congratulate him after Mamdani’s election win.
“You got a good moral compass, and that’s important,” Obama told the mayor-elect in the call, according to a source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Obama said then that he hoped to meet Mamdani in person soon, the source added.
Mamdani’s meeting with Obama comes after he has already met twice with Trump at the White House, in November and February, to discuss issues affecting New York City.
Despite those friendly tête-à-têtes, their relationship has shown signs of strain recently, with Trump posting on Truth Social Thursday that Mamdani was “DESTROYING New York” with his taxing policies, and threatening to pull federal funding for the city.
