When Mamdani finally steps into the White House, he carries more than a policy agenda; he brings with him the expectations of a city suffocating under the cost of living and the fear that nothing will change.

His vow is simple but fraught: he will work with Trump on anything that helps New Yorkers and oppose anything that harms them. It is a promise that forces him to walk a tightrope between collaboration and resistance, knowing every word will be weaponized.

Yet this confrontation is also symbolic: an immigrant mayor, elected to confront inequality, facing a president who derides him as “communist” and dangerous. Their meeting will not erase their differences, but it may reveal whether shared crises can override mutual contempt. For New Yorkers, the real test is not the handshake in the Oval Office, but whether anything tangible emerges for the millions who can no longer afford the city they refuse to leave.