Mayor Zohran Mamdani met with former President Barack Obama at a child care center in the Bronx on Saturday as the mayor moved to expand access to free care for 2-year-olds.
In their first public appearance together, the leaders read a book to a class of boisterous preschoolers and led them in a rendition of “The Wheels on the Bus.”
They talked to the children about the importance of community and used a sand castle as a metaphor for how Mr. Mamdani wanted to build more affordable housing.
The appearance, shortly after Mr. Mamdani marked his 100th day in office, brought together two stars of the Democratic Party to showcase a critical part of the mayor’s agenda: universal child care.
Mr. Obama called Mr. Mamdani in November shortly before his victory to praise his campaign. The former president offered during the call to serve as a “sounding board” for Mr. Mamdani.
The meeting on Saturday was first reported by Politico.
Mr. Mamdani ran for mayor on an affordability message that included expanding child care. During his first months in office, he has focused on expanding that system.
Mr. Obama did not endorse Mr. Mamdani during the mayor’s race. But during their call in November, the former president spoke admiringly of Mr. Mamdani’s campaign, making light of his own past political missteps and noting how few of them Mr. Mamdani made under such a bright spotlight.
“Your campaign has been impressive to watch,” Mr. Obama told Mr. Mamdani, according to two people who had been briefed on the call.
Mr. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, has appeared in the past with other prominent leaders in New York, including Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. The mayor also had two surprisingly chummy meetings with President Trump at the White House.
Emma G. Fitzsimmons is a public policy correspondent for The Times, covering New York City.
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