New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has described the “weirdest” thing he saw during his visit to the White House to meet president Donald Trump. Speaking on The Adam Friedland Show on Monday, Mamdani said he noticed a stack of coffee-table books on a table, including one titled UFC at the White House. “I had no idea, and I was just flippin’, flippin’ through that,” he said. UFC White House is an upcoming mixed martial arts event that will take place in June 2026, on the South Lawn of the White House. Asked if he planned to attend the White House UFC event scheduled for June, Mamdani simply said, “No,” prompting laughter from the host and himself. Friedland also asked how Mamdani stayed composed during the White House news conference, where observers were surprised by his calm demeanour. Mamdani said he focused on his priorities for the city. “Honestly, I was just thinking about New York City,” he said. The recent meeting between Mamdani and Trump marked a sharp contrast to their contentious relationship during the mayoral campaign. Mamdani defeated former governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary and then beat him again in the general election, after Cuomo launched an independent bid alongside Republican Curtis Sliwa. Mamdani won the November 4 vote with a clear majority. Throughout the race, Trump repeatedly criticised Mamdani, calling him a “communist lunatic” and questioning his fitness for office, while also threatening to withhold federal funding from New York if Mamdani won. However, at the White House meeting last week, Trump appeared to reverse his stance, praising Mamdani and saying he would feel comfortable living in New York City.
