Axios looks into the interaction of the two , who had a face to face in the Oval Office of the White House….
Which united two guys with Queens, NYC, connections in a pleasent encounter face to face…
For all the hype of a conflict, President Trump and New York City’s next mayor, Zohran Mamdani, had a surprising bond when they met Friday in the Oval Office: populist outsiders, lovers of the Big Apple, and two politicians who each want what the other has.
- Mamdani, facing a city budget deficit, needs federal money and doesn’t want Trump to send National Guard troops into New York City.
- Trump, reeling from bad polling on the economy, sought to co-opt some of the shine from the charismatic Mamdani’s message on affordability.
Why it matters: For a few minutes, Mamdani — whom Trump had called a communist — and Trump, whom Mamdani had called a fascist, gave a glimpse of how they might find common ground by putting aside vast partisan differences and working together, or at least appearing to.
- At minimum, they put on a show with head-turning congeniality.
- “It’s an episode of ‘Celebrity Apprentice,’ ” said Trump pollster John McLaughlin, referencing the former president’s hit TV show.
- “You’ve got America’s most famous socialist meeting America’s most famous capitalist,” he said. “And they got along great.”
Yes, but: Many Republicans bristled at Trump sidling up to Mamdani, a democratic socialist whom they’ve been trying to cast as a bogeyman with broad influence in the Democratic Party as the 2026 midterms approach.
Zoom in: In a joint press appearance, with Trump sitting at the Resolute Desk and Mamdani standing by, the president zeroed in on affordability after the roughly 30-minute private sit-down between the two. It was an issue the mayor-elect relentlessly focused on in his odds-defying campaign — one that bore some echoes to Trump’s first run for president a decade ago.
- “If I can get prices down, it’s good for New York,” Trump said.
- “I know there might be differences about ideology, but the place of agreement is the work that needs to be done to make New York City affordable,” Mamdani chimed in.
Mamdani dodged questions about his past blistering of Trump and pledged to work with the White House.
- “This is great for Democrats,” said Joe Calvello, a progressive strategist close to Mamdani’s team.
- GOP efforts to cast Mamdani as a too-far-left bogeyman could be tough in next year’s elections, Calvello said, when “here’s Trump joshing it up with him, tapping him on the shoulder, complimenting him. It makes it a little weaker….
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Inside the room: Trump loves asymmetry — zigging when the crowd thinks he’ll zag. To that end, he hyped Friday’s meeting in negative terms, calling Mamdani a communist — a false claim the White House press secretary made sure to mention the day before.
- For all of Trump’s smooth graciousness Friday, his White House has been gripped over concerns about his slipping poll numbers with young voters, especially over affordability….
Note…
The prosepect of the National Guard hangimng out in the Big Apple have dissipated since Trump and Mamdani had their chat….
ICE was supposted to be decendiong on the Big Apple also….
It is unkmnown if Trump nixed that move.also…
image…New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and President Trump during their friendly news conference Friday. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty
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