Mamdani says democratic socialism can thrive nationwide, discusses Trump relationship

Zohran Mamdani is trying to make democratic socialism look less like a protest banner and more like a governing model, even as he works through an oddly practical relationship with Donald Trump. On CBS Mornings, the New York City mayor said the politics can “flourish anywhere” because there is “only one majority in this country” - the working class.

That argument is central to how Mamdani is trying to widen his appeal beyond the city he now runs. He said he had once been told democratic socialism could only work in northwest Queens, the part of the city that helped launch his political rise before he was sworn in as the 112th mayor of New York City on January 1, 2026. Now, Mamdani is presenting his agenda as a test case for the nation, not just for Astoria, Ditmars-Steinway and nearby neighborhoods in the 36th Assembly District he previously represented.

In office, Mamdani has already moved on several campaign promises. He has pushed free child care, created an Office of Community Safety and announced the site of New York City’s first city-run grocery store. At the same time, some of his biggest pledges remain stuck, including a rent freeze and free city buses. Mamdani said more than one million New Yorkers are already seeing faster buses, and he expects a decision this summer on rent-stabilized housing board vacancies.

His most explicit attempt at pairing ideology with budget math is a tax plan he and Governor Kathy Hochul are pursuing on secondary homes worth more than $5 million that are owned by non-New Yorkers. Mamdani said the levy could raise $500 million for the city, money he casts as proof that his brand of politics can be translated into revenue, not just rhetoric.

That same transactional logic has shaped his dealings with Trump. Mamdani described the two as “honest, direct” about their disagreements and said they share one point of agreement: a love of New York City. Trump has remained friendly toward Mamdani despite their political split, including a White House meeting in November 2025 and another in February 2026 focused on housing development. POLITICO reported that Mamdani still calls Trump a fascist, yet sees the relationship as productive, with the February session centered on a proposal to build more than 10,000 units over a Queens rail yard.

The broader backdrop is less forgiving. PBS NewsHour has noted that Mamdani’s first months have been shaped by a budget deficit, a nurses strike, a record-breaking snowstorm and a rise in Islamophobic rhetoric. That makes his ability to deliver services while dealing with Trump more than a personality quirk. It is the clearest measure yet of whether Mamdani’s democratic socialism can govern as a practical force, and whether that message can travel beyond New York.