Mayor Zohran Mamdani plans to meet with former President Barack Obama in the Bronx on Saturday, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The Democratic leaders are meeting at a child-care center as Mr. Mamdani moves to expand free care for 2-year-olds this year.
It will be their first public appearance together since Mr. Mamdani’s meteoric rise. Mr. Obama called Mr. Mamdani in November shortly before his victory to praise his campaign. The former president offered to serve as a “sounding board” for Mr. Mamdani.
The mayor’s official schedule for the day suggested that he would visit with children and parents at an early childhood education center in the Bronx. It did not say that Mr. Obama would be there. The meeting was first reported by Politico.
Mr. Mamdani ran for mayor on an affordability message that included universal 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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