Updated on: April 18, 2026 / 11:21 PM EDT / CBS/AP
Former President Barack Obama met New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for the first time on Saturday at a Bronx child care center, where they read to preschoolers and led a sing-along.
The two read “Alone and Together” to the children and led a rendition of “The Wheels on the Bus.” They did not take questions afterward. According to a news release from the mayor’s office, they discussed Mamdani’s vision for the city and the importance of early childhood education.
Obama posted on X, “Great spending time with New York City’s Cutest,” and thanked the mayor for giving him an excuse to “break out my best ‘Wheels on the Bus.'”
Mamdani, 34, has drawn attention for his progressive agenda and youth, and Obama has offered to serve as a sounding board. The visit came just over a week after Mamdani marked his 100th day in office. He took office in January after a campaign focused on making New York more affordable and directing government power toward helping the city’s working class.
The meeting also comes as Mamdani seeks to build working relationships across the aisle. He has met twice with President Trump at the White House, in November and February, to discuss city issues. Despite those meetings, relations with Trump have shown signs of strain: Trump posted on Truth Social that Mamdani was “DESTROYING New York” with his taxing policies and threatened to pull federal funding.
Mamdani told “CBS Mornings” this week that he and Trump “are in touch” and are honest and direct about their disagreements. “There is one place of agreement that we have, which is that we both love New York City,” he said.