The post-election show of unity between President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani masks ideological gaps that could soon surface, retired NYPD Chief of Department John Chell told Newsmax on Saturday.
Trump hosted Mamdani at the White House on Friday for a meeting that took place without apparent conflict despite their radically different worldviews.
Mamdani, a Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidate who won the city's mayoral race this month, has pledged major changes on housing and policing, while Trump has promised a tougher federal posture on sanctuary-style cities.
Chell said the two appeared cordial in their first public interaction after the election, but he doubts that tone will last.
"They had they had their moment, you know, politics yesterday. They're putting on a good face," Chell told Newsmax TV's "Saturday Agenda."
"You know, the city has to succeed. If the city succeeds, the country succeeds and all that. But again, it remains to be seen. We got to see what happens," Chell said.
Chell said the key issue is how long Mamdani can satisfy his DSA base before running into the president's priorities.
"How long is the leash going to be on the mayor-elect from the president? How long is it going to take before he does something that kind of falls in line with his DSA base versus what the president wants? It's going to be interesting," Chell said.
"Like I said, it sounded good yesterday, like, wow, that was interesting. But again, we got four years. We have four years, three years with the president. It's going to be quite the ride and hopefully it works. Hopefully it's successful," he added.
Asked if cooperation is likely, Chell said he's skeptical.
"Do I believe it's going to be successful? I don't know. Probably not. The ideologies are too far apart. They really are. But you never know. Maybe there's some common ground from some housing and affordability and public safety, and then there'll be some issues with other things that come up, if you will," he said.
Chell's remarks land amid mounting concern from police veterans over what Mamdani's win could mean for staffing and morale. Chell warned Newsmax that a large cohort of officers is eligible to retire early next year and could leave if they believe City Hall will curb proactive policing or dismantle specialized units.
Mamdani campaigned on reallocating parts of the public-safety budget and expanding social-service responses, positions praised by his supporters but viewed by critics as a recipe for rising crime.
For now, both sides are striking a cooperative tone after the election. But Chell said New Yorkers should watch the policy fights ahead, not the smiles, to judge whether the relationship holds.
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