WASHINGTON — Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb will succeed Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego as the next president of the Democratic Mayors Association.

As his term begins, Democrats are on the defensive and Republicans are just days away from a three-run victory in Washington that would take control of the White House, House and Senate. November’s election results showed long-standing Democratic strength eroding in some major metropolitan areas.

In an interview with NBC News, Bieber laid out his vision for the Democratic Party during the Trump administration, emphasizing the need for the two parties to work together on priorities.

Bieber said he would work with Republicans "if I believe it will help the residents I was elected to serve."

"This needs to be the way we govern this country," he said. "If we continue to be mired in bipartisan political purity tests, nothing will be done."

Bieber's new position was first reported by ABC News.

Reflecting on the 2024 election results, Bieber said Democrats need to be more active in talking about public safety.

"I think one of the frustrating things that I saw in last year's election was that as a party we were not more aggressive in talking about the significant successes and victories that we had in addressing public safety issues," Bibb said. He was referring to the homicide rate in Cleveland where police pay has decreased while police pay has increased in the city.

Bieber said he would "absolutely" be willing to meet with the Trump administration on any issue.

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to try to roll out new tax policy, possibly unifying a range of priorities into a single bill. Bieber said he "would love to meet with the incoming HUD secretary, Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance to discuss "how we can use his tax bill to provide more finance to cities through public-private partnerships or tax credits." resources to solve our problems". Housing prices."

"My message to mayors and Democratic mayors across the country is let's stand up for our values, protect our interests and advocate for whatever it takes for us as mayors to do our jobs," Bieber said. "Because I There's no way not to work with this president because Clevelanders expect me to still deliver and get results."

The message echoed rhetoric against Trump from some Democratic governors, even as others took a more confrontational stance.

The first-term Cleveland mayor also laid out the importance of his party "listening more," emphasizing the need for mayors to be at the forefront of "rebuilding the Democratic Party."

"As mayors, we do not have the ability to pass the buck to the next Congress or legislative session," Bieber said. "Our residents, regardless of race, class, color, creed or political party, just want results."