Heading into Friday’s first in-person meeting between President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, speculation was rampant that there would be fireworks.
After all, Mamdani has repeatedly called Trump a “fascist.” And Trump has called Mamdani every name in the book — usually settling on “socialist” or “communist.”
So what happened? The exact opposite.
It was a damned lovefest!
“I feel very confident that he can do a very good job,” Trump said of Mamdani. “I think he is going to surprise some conservative people, actually.”
You shouldn’t be surprised. Let me explain why.
For Mamdani, there is no incentive to unnecessarily antagonize Trump. For the 2026 fiscal year, New York City gets $7.5 billion — with a “b” — in federal funding. Mamdani knows that it would be very challenging to replace that funding if Trump, in a fit of pique, decided to pull the money as a way to punish the new mayor.
So, why then go to Trump’s home and, well take a dump on the floor? Right? Why not, instead, play nice — focusing on the places you do agree and saving the (inevitable) disagreements for another day?
Which is exactly what Mamdani did. Because he is a very smart pol.
Then there are Trump’s motivations, which, as always are pretty transparent — and which meant he was always going to be favorably inclined to Mamdani in person.
Consider what we know about Trump (and Mamdani):
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Trump loves winners. Trump likes success — political and financial. He doesn’t really care whether the winner is someone who agrees with him or not. It’s more about surrounding himself with people who win because a) that’s how he thinks of himself and b) he believes he benefits from the reflected glory. Mamdani beat a New York Democratic dynasty. Twice.
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Trump loves stars. Trump is a celebrity. And he is drawn to other celebrities. Again, it’s the set/class he sees himself in and believes that the famous are, well, just better than the non-famous. And like him or hate him, it’s impossible to deny that Mamdani is a star.
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Trump loves to subvert expectations. Remember that Trump’s formative experience before going into politics was as a reality TV star/reality TV executive producer. He views the presidency through that lens — how can he make sure people keep tuning in? And one of the best way to do that — in reality TV and politics — is to have a twist or a swerve. The subverting of expectations is a sure fire way to amp up the drama and keep peoples’ attention. What better subversion of expectations could there be than Mamdani and Trump getting along?
Does the downright friendliness of their first in-person meeting suggest the two men won’t attack each other in future? Absolutely not! Trump is incredibly mercurial. He could be attacking Mamdani by the end of this week!
But if you understand what makes Trump tick, you understand why the likely outcome of the first meeting between the president and Mamdani was always going to be a positive one.
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