Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel rarely passes up an opportunity to take a jab at President Donald Trump. However, it appears not all of his friends are willing to play along.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani declined Kimmel’s request to send Trump a selfie of the pair. Instead, he made it clear that he had more important reasons to maintain communication with the White House.
Mamdani appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! during the late-night host’s latest week of shows in Brooklyn. The conversation eventually turned to the mayor’s surprisingly cordial working relationship with Trump despite their considerable political differences.
“Another thing that is very unexpected is this relationship that you have with President Trump, which seems to be a very friendly relationship,” Kimmel said, according to Variety.
Of course, Kimmel’s own relationship with the first family has been anything but friendly.
Mamdani Keeps His Relationship With Trump Focused on New York
Kimmel asked whether Mamdani immediately connected with Trump or deliberately attempted to charm the president because maintaining that relationship could benefit New York City.
Mamdani laughed before explaining that their conversations have focused on areas where cooperation could help New Yorkers.
Zohran Mamdani – Jimmy Kimmel Live, YouTube
READ: Disney Will Reveal New Cruise Ship on October 7
“The president and I have many disagreements,” Mamdani said. “One thing we do agree on is this city, how much we love this city.”
He added that his approach since their first meeting last November has been to keep their conversations focused on New York rather than their personal or political differences.
Kimmel Wanted Mamdani to Text Trump
Kimmel then asked about reports that Mamdani occasionally communicates with Trump through text messages.
“From time to time we’re in communication, and it’s about Sunnyside Yard, and it’s about how we can deliver for the city,” Mamdani confirmed.
The mayor said he has been focused on securing federal approval for the Sunnyside Yard project. According to Mamdani, the project will include approximately 12,000 homes and create roughly 30,000 jobs in Queens. He also said his conversations with Trump have included the protected status of Haitian New Yorkers.
Kimmel apparently saw an opportunity.
Zohran Mamdani and Jimmy Kimmel – Jimmy Kimmel Live, YouTube
READ: Play Disney Parks App Officially Retired
The late-night host asked Mamdani whether they could take a selfie together and immediately send it to Trump.
“Jimmy, I love you, but I love housing more,” Mamdani responded, effectively ending the proposal.
The exchange earned laughs, but Mamdani’s answer also underscored the different priorities at work. Kimmel wanted to turn the mayor’s direct line to Trump into a stunt that could provoke a reaction from the White House. Mamdani emphasized that he uses that access to pursue specific priorities for New York City.
Kimmel’s Long-Running Trump Feud
Kimmel’s proposed selfie comes after years of making Trump and his family frequent targets of his late-night material.
That antagonism has remained particularly visible throughout 2026. Kimmel used his Peabody Award acceptance speech in June to discuss his right to criticize and satirize the president while referring to Trump with an insulting nickname.
The feud became considerably more heated earlier in the year after Kimmel joked that First Lady Melania Trump had the appearance of an “expectant widow.” Following another attempt on the president’s life, the First Lady called for ABC and Disney to fire Kimmel.
Jimmy Kimmel jokes that Melania Trump has a “glow like an expected widow” on his show days before an attempt was made on President Trump’s life – YouTube, SkyNews Australia
Kimmel, meanwhile, defended the joke and rejected accusations that his remarks amounted to violent rhetoric.
The host has also repeatedly targeted Trump’s policies and events from his late-night platform, including the president’s White House UFC event.
Against that backdrop, asking Mamdani to send Trump an unsolicited selfie of the two together carried considerably more baggage than an ordinary late-night bit. It risked pulling the mayor into Kimmel’s long-running feud with the president while potentially complicating a line of communication Mamdani says he is using to advance New York City’s interests.
Mamdani apparently decided that preserving that relationship was more valuable than giving Kimmel another opportunity to antagonize the president.
Are you surprised that Zohran Mamdani refused Jimmy Kimmel’s request to send a selfie to President Trump? Sound off and let us know!
