Former President Barack Obama met with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani for the first time on Saturday at a 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. The meeting comes just over a week after Mamdani marked his 100th day in office.
Obama and Mamdani did not take questions after reading the book “Alone and Together” to the children and leading a singalong of “The Wheels on the Bus.”
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 has made him stand out in Democratic politics.
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) April 18, 2026
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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. pic.twitter.com/U9e1c1LzQf
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) April 18, 2026
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 vast power of government toward helping the city’s struggling working class.