A group of preschoolers at a child care center in the Bronx gathered on a rug for a memorable story time on Saturday with Mayor Zohran Mamdani and former President Barack Obama.
The pair sang an animated rendition of “Wheels on the Bus,” read a picture book about the importance of community and ribbed each other about whose city had the better pizza.
Mr. Obama read aloud about building a sand castle and stopped to ask: “Who has made a sand castle before?”
Many tiny hands shot up, and Mr. Mamdani took the opportunity to plug his affordability agenda, the centerpiece of his campaign last year.
“We’re trying to build more housing in New York City,” the mayor said.
The event — Mr. Mamdani’s and Mr. Obama’s first public appearance together, and one that came shortly after the mayor marked his 100th day in office — brought together two stars of the Democratic Party to showcase a critical part of that affordability agenda: universal child care.
Mr. Mamdani is moving to expand free child care to 2,000 2-year-olds this fall. He has enlisted famous friends, including the rapper Cardi B and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, to generate support for his plan and to urge families to apply.
Mr. Obama did not endorse Mr. Mamdani in the mayor’s race last year. But the former president called him in November, shortly before Mr. Mamdani’s victory, to offer his support.
On Saturday, Mr. Obama thanked the teachers at the Learning Through Play Pre-K Center, which is part of the city’s free preschool program for 3- and 4-year-olds, and endorsed Mr. Mamdani’s child care plan.
“This is what we need — making an investment in these amazing kids,” he said.
Mr. Mamdani and Mr. Obama had a private conversation, but the mayor’s office declined to provide details — other than a statement saying they “discussed the mayor’s vision for this city” and the importance of child care.
Mr. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, has grappled with major budget challenges in his first months in office and resistance to parts of his agenda, including free buses. He has shown an aptitude for charming allies and adversaries, including President Trump, whom he has met with twice at the White House.
The visit with Mr. Obama, which was first reported by Politico, was no different. As Mr. Obama read the book “Alone & Together” by Émilie Chazerand, the former president asked the children: “Who likes pizza?”
Mr. Mamdani put Mr. Obama, whose political roots are in Chicago, on the spot: “Let me ask you guys a very important question. What’s better: New York City pizza or Chicago pizza? Mr. President, what do you say?”
Mr. Obama chose diplomacy: “You know what, we’re in New York. I’m not going to talk about your pizza.”
Then, when the class asked Mr. Mamdani, 34, to sing the song “Soda Pop” from the film “KPop Demon Hunters,” the mayor acknowledged he did not know the lyrics. Mr. Obama, 64, put his hand on the mayor’s back.
“I just want you to know that it’s great that you just made the mayor feel really old,” Mr. Obama said.
“Incredibly old,” Mr. Mamdani laughed.
When Mr. Obama called Mr. Mamdani in November, the former president offered to serve as a “sounding board.” He also 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.
The call came at a time when some Democrats were reluctant to embrace Mr. Mamdani because of his criticism of Israel. Mr. Mamdani also criticized Mr. Obama in 2013 on social media, comments that one of his opponents sought to highlight during the campaign.
On Saturday, the leaders had an easy rapport. Mr. Obama, a music fan, compared Mr. Mamdani, a former C-list rapper known as Mr. Cardamom, to DJ Khaled.
The former president chuckled when the mayor responded by citing one of DJ Khaled’s catchphrases: “another one.”
Emma G. Fitzsimmons is a public policy correspondent for The Times, covering New York City.
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