Former PresidentĀ Barack ObamaĀ met with New York MayorĀ Zohran MamdaniĀ for the first time on Saturday at a child care center where they read to preschoolers and led a singalong.
The meeting comes as Mamdani, a democratic socialist who marked hisĀ 100th day in officeĀ just over a week ago, is also trying to build a working relationship with Republican President Donald Trump.
Obama and Mamdani did not take questions after reading the book āAlone and Togetherā to the children and leading a singalong of āThe Wheels on the Bus.ā
The former two-term president and standard-bearer for the Democratic Party has offered to be aĀ sounding boardĀ for Mamdani, 34, whose star power, youth and progressive agenda has made him stand out in Democratic politics.
MamdaniĀ took officeĀ in January after a campaign centered on making New York City a more affordable place to live, centering his agenda on refocusing the vast power of government toward helping the cityās struggling working class.
Mamdani hasĀ met twice with TrumpĀ 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, with Trump posting on social media Thursday that Mamdani was āDESTROYING New Yorkā with his taxing policies and threatened to pull federal funding for the city.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com