American mayors enjoy — or are beleaguered by — deep media coverage at the local and even state level. Traditionally, however, that resonance faded the farther you moved from City Hall.
But things seem different this year. Mayors and mayoral races have made national news, thanks in part to President Trump’s continued focus on exerting influence in cities with Democratic governments.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu experienced that national glare when she testified before a Congressional Committee in March, explaining how Boston does and does not cooperate with federal immigration officials. She’s also sparred with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and “border czar” Tom Homan over the same policies.
Even her re-election campaign drew national scrutiny, as she squared off with Josh Kraft, the son of New England Patriots owner and Trump supporter Robert Kraft.
Wu sat down with WBUR Morning Edition host Tiziana Dearing about the growing role of mayors in America and several other topics.
Highlights from this interview have been lightly edited for clarity.
Interview highlights
On similarities between herself and New York Mayor-elect Zorhan Mamdani:
“I haven’t been following every twist and turn of races outside the city of Boston, just because there’s plenty to focus on here, but a lot of the ideas that have been put forward — around the importance of access to childcare and reliable, free and affordable transportation — that is what we’ve been working on here in Boston as well, and where we’ve shown some really important steps forward.”
On the changing role of mayors in America:
“ I’m obviously biased here, but I would say that you cannot exist just in the realm of rhetoric and words in municipal government. As processes have started to feel more and more stuck at the federal level —”
Dearing: “ You mean legislative process? Are you talking about Congress?”
Wu: “ I’m talking about hyper-partisanship. That sense of trust is really critical to being able to do big things together and to tackle challenges that aren’t as easy as throwing some money at something, or one person deciding to take on initiative. And that has been the point of government since it’s been created.”
On whether she worries about adding to that division:
“Look, as a woman and an Asian American and a mom and someone who has grown up with no political connections or resources or influence, you are already under such scrutiny at every step. And at some point you have to decide: Does that mean then you go into the box that has been perceived to be set, and try to aim to not ruffle feathers, speak like people expect or think that the respectable politician of your kind should speak? Or do you just be yourself?
“Of course I have to think about how I say things, but I would say I’m probably more likely to say what I believe, communicate it fully, authentically — maybe sometimes a little too passionately — and potentially regret afterwards, ‘Oh, maybe I shouldn’t have gone so hard’ or something.”
“I would rather do that, than afterwards regret that I had kept my mouth shut and did not represent my constituents and the people that I am fighting for every day with the fullest energy that I could bring.”
On how she views her efforts around improving housing affordability:
“ I think we have done everything that we possibly could within the power of local government in Massachusetts to try to create more housing and more affordability. However, with interest rates where they’ve been, with tariff policies, with the cost of materials and construction and everything just through the roof, we certainly are nowhere near where we need to be in terms of the scale of housing that has been created.”
On whether she will try to keep the fare-free bus program running in Boston once the federal funding ends in 2026:
“We are going to keep engaging with the state and talk about what might come next. I mean, I think we’ve seen this in New York, right? Having a vision of free, affordable, reliable, high quality transportation access goes a long, long way. It touches everyone in the city.”
This segment aired on November 7, 2025.
