Donald Trump has showered praise on New York's incoming mayor, Zohran Mamdani, during a warm and friendly press conference where they pledged to work together to lower living costs in America's biggest city.
The US president and the democratic socialist had spent months trading barbs during the New York mayoral race. But they presented a united front after meeting at the White House, even as reporters asked about their past attacks on each other.
"We just had a great meeting," Mr Trump said.
"I think you're going to have, hopefully, a really great mayor.
"He has views that are a little out there, but who knows? We're going to see what works, and he's going to change also. We all change."
Mr Trump complimented Mr Mamdani's long-odds election win and said he expected the mayor-elect was "going to surprise some conservative people".
He pledged to help Mr Mamdani achieve what he said were shared goals, including lowering rents and grocery prices and reducing crime in New York City.
"I expect to be helping him, not hurting him. A big help, because I want New York City to be great," he said.
Mr Trump had previously threatened to cut funding to New York if Mr Mamdani won the election, which he did comfortably earlier this month. Mr Mamdani had campaigned on an anti-Trump platform and labelled the president a "fascist" and a "despot".
Asked about his previous criticisms of Mr Trump, Mr Mamdani responded by saying their meeting "focused not on places of disagreement, which there are many", but rather "on the shared purpose that we have in serving New Yorkers".
"The meeting came back again and again to what it could look like to lift those New Yorkers out of struggle," Mr Mamdani said.
Mr Trump added: "I've been called much worse than a despot, so it's not that insulting, but maybe, I think, he'll change his mind after we get to working together."
When a Fox News reporter pressed Mr Mamdani about whether he stood by his past attacks on the president, Mr Trump advised his guest to "just say yes" and move on.
"It's easier than explaining it. I don't mind," Mr Trump said, patting Mr Mamdani on the arm.
Earlier on Friday, local time, Mr Trump predicted they would have a "quite civil" meeting.
The day before, Mr Mamdani described the meeting as "customary". He said many New Yorkers had voted for both him and Mr Trump because they wanted leaders who would take on the rising cost of living.
"My team reached out to the White House to set up this meeting because I will work with anyone to make life more affordable for the more than 8.5 million people who call this city home," Mr Mamdani told a press conference.
During the mayoral election campaign, Mr Trump, a New York native, labelled Mr Mamdani a "communist" and said he would ruin the city.
He endorsed Mr Mamdani's rival, Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent after he lost the Democratic Party primary to Mr Mamdani.
The mayor-elect had been particularly critical of the Trump administration's immigration raids and American support for Israel's attacks on Gaza, labelled genocide by a UN-backed probe.
He used his election night victory speech to unload on Mr Trump, pledging to "put an end to the culture of corruption that has allowed billionaires like Trump to evade taxation and exploit tax breaks".
His ascent to the mayoralty was widely seen as an unlikely victory by a left-wing grassroots movement over entrenched institutional power and big money.
His headline promises included tax increases, free childcare, free buses, city-owned supermarkets and a four-year rent freeze on New York's 1 million rent-stabilised apartments.
Business groups spent tens of millions of dollars on support for Mr Cuomo, who most considered the friendlier mayoral option for Wall Street, big corporations and the city's landlords.
