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White House 'Reassured' as Mayor-Elect Mamdani Keeps NYPD Commissioner, Hassett Says

Kevin Hassett said the White House is "really reassured" that Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will retain Jessica Tisch as New York City's police commissioner. Tisch has accepted the offer and said she is "ready to serve with honor." Hassett framed the move, and Mamdani's cordial White House meeting with President Trump, as possible signs the incoming mayor may cooperate across party lines on public safety. Mamdani has backed away from calls to defund the NYPD, supports a roughly 34,000-officer force and proposes a Department of Community Safety; recent NYPD data show mixed crime trends.

06:51 AM, 11/24/2025Politics

National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said Sunday the White House is "really reassured" that New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has chosen to retain Jessica Tisch as police commissioner.

Hassett told Jake Tapper on CNN's State of the Union that the decision signals continuity in public-safety leadership. "In previous administrations in New York, we have seen law and order really go south," he said, adding that the move could make it easier for Mamdani to work with the White House.

"We are really reassured that [Mamdani has] kept the police commissioner," Hassett said. "We're at times disagreeing about policies, but I think the objective of making life better for everybody is something that a lot of people share on the Democratic and Republican side."

Jessica Tisch confirmed she has accepted Mamdani's offer to continue leading the New York City Police Department. Appointed by Mayor Eric Adams in November 2024, Tisch said she has spoken with the mayor-elect several times and is "ready to serve with honor as his Police Commissioner." She said they share public-safety goals including lowering crime, improving community safety, rooting out corruption, and providing officers with the tools and support they need.

The announcement followed a cordial meeting between Mamdani and President Trump at the White House. Hassett suggested that keeping Tisch could be "a sign that maybe he’ll be able to work together with" the president on shared priorities.

Where Mamdani stands

Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist, has moderated earlier campaign calls to "defund" the NYPD. He now says the NYPD's current size—roughly 34,000 officers—is appropriate and has proposed creating a Department of Community Safety to better handle mental-health crises and nonviolent emergencies.

Crime data

According to NYPD weekly data for the week ending Nov. 16, year-over-year trends were mixed: the city's murder rate was down 20.5%, robberies decreased by 9.5%, reported rape incidents rose 16.4%, and hate crimes fell 23.2%. Mamdani has said addressing hate crimes will be one of his priorities.

This development is notable for public-safety watchers because it suggests an early effort by the incoming mayor to balance progressive reform ideas with continuity in policing leadership, while signaling potential areas for bipartisan cooperation.

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