After months of trading barbs, US President Donald Trump met with New York Mayor elect Zohran Mamdani on Friday, and, instead of taking potshots at each other, the duo swapped compliments, much to the surprise of US lawmakers and the public at large.
Despite having clashed over everything from immigration to economic policy in the run-up to the New York mayoral polls, Mamdani, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, and Trump, a billionaire-turned-politician, seemed to strike up a rapport at the White House.
In widely circulated videos, Mamdani was seen standing beside Trump in the Oval Office, with the duo answering questions from the media. At times, the US President even seemed protective of the New York Mayor elect, who he had, at one point of time, labelled a “100% Communist Lunatic” and a “total nut job”.
In a sharp reversal from his earlier comments on Mamdani, Trump told reporters on Friday, “I think he is going to surprise some conservative people, actually.”
“We agree on a lot more than I would have thought,” Trump further said, adding, “We have one thing in common: We want this city of ours that we love to do very well.”
“Some of his ideas are the same ideas I have,” the US President went on, adding, “The better he does, the happier I am.”
While Trump’s unexpected warmth towards the NYC Mayor elect who had been a bitter political rival even weeks back took many by surprise, what baffled analysts, political commentators, and the internet alike was an exchange on their political views.
‘A very rational man’
Once reporters were allowed into the Oval Office, Mamdani was squarely asked to clarify his past statements on the US President acting like a fascist, but before the NYC Mayor elect could clarify, Trump jumped in.
“I’ve been called much worse than a despot. So it’s not that insulting, but I think he’ll change his mind after we get to working together,” the US President said.
When reporters persisted and asked Mamdani whether he stood by his earlier comments labelling Trump a fascist, Trump interjected again: “That’s OK. You can just say yes. OK? It’s easier. It’s easier than explaining it. I don’t mind.”
“I’ll stick up for you,” the US President further said to the NYC Mayor elect.
Trump was also asked whether the person standing next to him in the Oval Office was a “jihadist”, to which the US President said, “No I don’t. I met with a man who’s a very rational person”.
Trump even indicated that he would consider moving back to the city of his birth, which Mamdani will take charge of from January 1.
Mamdani, for his part, also indicated that the meeting was different than perhaps what he had expected.
“What I really appreciate about the president is that the meeting that we had focused not on places of disagreement, which there are many, and also focused on the shared purpose that we have in serving New Yorkers,” the NYC Mayor elect said.
‘What the heck the just happened?’
Understandably, not just political commentators, but even US lawmakers were stunned.
“What the heck just happened?” US Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Democrat from Michigan, wrote on social media, sharing a clip from the meeting.
And it wasn’t just the Democrats.
“I mean, it did seem like a little bit of a bromance,” Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican Congresswoman from the conservative stronghold of Staten Island, told The New York Times.
Some even took it as a sign that Trump’s threats about intervening in New York’s functioning would not come to pass: “There is the possibility that maybe this means New York City is not going to get invaded by federal troops on Jan. 1,” Ana María Archila, the co-director of New York’s Working Families Party, told NYT.
How social media reacted
While those actively engaging in politics were left stunned, the internet had a field day, with memes on Trump and Mamdani’s buddy moments flooding social media platforms.
“This is the closest Mamdani has come to pork,” wrote one social media user sharing viral clips of the meeting.
“Find you somebody who looks at you like Donald Trump looks at Zohran Mamdani,” wrote another.
Others, meanwhile, joked that Trump would turn communist following his meet with the NYC Mayor elect.
