Obama meets Mamdani for the first time, breaks into singing 'Wheels on the Bus' with children — VIDEO
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Obama meets Mamdani for the first time, breaks into singing 'Wheels on the Bus' with children — VIDEO")
Former President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani Photograph: (NYCMayor/X)
Barack Obama met New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani at a Bronx childcare center, reading to children and discussing early education. The visit highlighted childcare expansion plans, while Mamdani also maintains a complex working relationship with Donald Trump amid policy disagreements.
Former President Barack Obama met with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani for the first time on Saturday (Apr 12) at a child care center in the South Bronx. The two read to preschoolers and led a singalong in what looked like a fun interaction with kids. The meeting comes as Mamdani marked his 100th day in office just over a week ago. While Obama praised Mamdani’s mayoral campaign as "impressive" in a November 2025 phone call and offered to be a "sounding board," he withheld a public, formal endorsement during his 2025 mayoral campaign. 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.” Mamdani took office in January after a campaign centered on making New York City a more affordable place to live.
Obama posted images from the visit and praised the kids as “cutest.” He said nothing about the discussion he had with Mamdani. “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,” Mamdani wrote on the social platform X. A spokesperson for the mayor said the pair discussed “the importance of giving New York’s Cutest the strongest start possible” during their meeting. This meeting also comes as Mamdani pushes to expand free childcare programs across New York City.
Videos shared on X show the two leaders waving and joining preschoolers in the popular nursery rhyme, even playfully singing along to “squish, squish, squish.”
Trump and Mamdani
It must be noted that Mamdani is also attempting to build a relationship with US President Donald Trump, who he had criticised throughout his mayoral campaign and in his victory speech. He has met twice with Trump at the White House in November and February to discuss issues affecting New York.
Despite those friendly meetings, their relationship has shown signs of strain recently. Last week, Trump blasted the mayor's proposed "pied-à-terre" tax on secondary homes worth more than $5 million, calling it an attempt to "destroy New York" and claiming it would drive investment out of the city.
