New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani quietly held a private meeting this week with one of the world's wealthiest filmmakers in a closed-door visit that was not listed on his public schedule.

On Monday, the first full day of his mayoralty, Mamdani spent about an hour inside the Central Park West apartment of billionaire director Steven Spielberg. 

The meeting did not appear on the mayor's public schedule and was only acknowledged by both Spielberg's spokeswoman and City Hall after questions from the press.

The meeting came just hours after Mamdani publicly pledged to return power 'to the people,' underscoring the tension between his populist campaign message and his private engagement with one of the most influential figures in global entertainment.

The two sides declined to provide details, saying only that the meeting was intended to remain private.

According to people familiar with the encounter, the meeting took place Monday evening and lasted roughly an hour. 

Spielberg's spokeswoman, Terry Press, confirmed the visit but said the mayor and the director had agreed to keep it private, declining to elaborate further.

Dora Pekec, a spokeswoman for the mayor, confirmed that Mamdani returned to work afterward and offered no additional comment.

Zohran Mamdani kept a private, off-schedule meeting during his first full week in office - an early test of his transparency pledge

Spielberg is a billionaire filmmaker and major Democratic donor whose quiet access to the new mayor has sharpened scrutiny of Mamdani’s pledge to limit the influence of elites (Spielberg pictured after his private meeting with new Mamdani)  

Two people familiar with the conversation, who were not authorized to speak publicly, told The New York Times that there was no formal agenda and described the meeting as a friendly, introductory conversation between the city's new mayor and one of its most famous residents.

Spielberg, who is worth billions and is a major donor to Democratic causes, reportedly became an official New York City resident the same day Mamdani was inaugurated.

Also present at the gathering were Spielberg's wife, Kate Capshaw; their son Theo and his wife; and Morris Katz, one of Mamdani's top advisers.

Public records do not show that Spielberg financially supported Mamdani's campaign.

The optics of the meeting are however slightly awkward. 

Mamdani ran for mayor as an outspoken critic of concentrated wealth and elite influence, pledging to shift power away from billionaires and toward everyday New Yorkers. 

On New Year's Day, after being sworn in by Bernie Sanders, Mamdani declared: 'We will answer to all New Yorkers, not to any billionaire or oligarch who thinks they can buy our democracy.'