US President Donald Trump met on Friday with New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to ease the transition and enable the Big Apple to thrive.
Many were surprised by this meeting. They had watched the election and listened to right-wing voices call Mamdani a “jihadist” and “communist,” and they were convinced that Trump and Mamdani would not get along.
However, they tended to be confused by the rhetoric and not to understand that rhetoric is not always reality. Mamdani did run as a far-left progressive but he is not a “jihadist.” Both Trump and Mamdani represent a kind of populist swell of support for new politics on either side of the political spectrum.
It’s no surprise that mainstream Republicans and Democrats have been concerned or fearful of this politics. In fact, at the opposite end of the spectrum from the Trump-Mamdani meeting is the appearance of former rivals at the funeral of Dick Cheney. Some see that funeral as representing an American “uniparty,” meaning that moderate Republicans and Democrats tend to come to Washington and quietly agree on most things, even though they run to the Left and Right in elections.
For other observers of Trump and Mamdani, the meeting was expected. Trump likes winners, and he is often open to taking risks. Mamdani was often open to listening to voters, and he knew that many of them were also Trump supporters.
In many ways, the Trump-Mamdani meeting represents the best of America, where people can come together to speak and share ideas. This hurts the extremists, who don’t want people to listen to each other and who profit from political division.
The Mamdani-Trump meeting included some discussions about what is best for New York. This included the issues of affordability and energy costs. There were some agreements, it seems, such as an embrace of a kind of FDR-style politics.
This is a reminder that while Trump has embraced many causes of the Right, conservatives, and even the far Right, he is also open to historically Democratic policies. This is because Trump is not an ideological conservative. He’s been willing to tear up some of Washington’s sacred cows, such as getting rid of USAID. He has also been willing to confront issues such as conversations about transgender women in women’s sports.
Certainly, Mamdani would not agree on these issues. However, on topics appealing to working-class Americans and their pocketbooks, they may agree on several issues.
This is because, when it comes to the “uniparty,” most of them don’t seem to care about rising health care costs or rising tuition costs. Populists tend to care more about these issues because they channel resentment among the public relating to everyday issues.
Mamdani's criticism of Israel contrasts with Trump's support
Among pro-Israel voices, one of the things that has raised eyebrows is that Mamdani is very critical of the recent war in Gaza. This included accusing Israel of genocide, according to numerous headlines.
This comes after a campaign in which Mamdani was also accused of not condemning phrases such as “globalize the intifada.” This is certainly in contrast to Trump, who hosted freed hostages at the White House the day before. Trump has been passionate about freeing hostages. He also sought to end the war.
For this reason, Mamdani’s criticisms of the war may not have ruffled Trump’s feathers all that much. This is because Trump likely felt the war was not achieving much and that it was important to bring it to an end. Trump’s envoys and other members of the administration have spoken with passion about the civilians in Gaza.
Trump believes in the art of the possible. He likes winners, and he likes to see both sides feel they won. Insofar as Mamdani is a winner, Trump assumes that working with him for now will help both Trump and Mamdani and New York City.
In time, things may change. Trump has often had falling-outs with some people he gravitated toward, such as Elon Musk. The point of the Mamdani meeting was to have a pragmatic meeting and see where the two men could work together.
Some Republicans believed that they would be campaigning against Mamdanism in the midterms. Now they wonder if this will be the case. Democrats also appeared concerned that Mamdani might lead to a wave of far-left primary challengers and insurgents.
The Mamdani meeting at the White House has left some surprised and unsure of what to do next. A more pragmatic reading of the meeting might see a silver lining in the idea that Americans can bridge gaps and talk policy. Trump has a doctrine of having a door open to different types of leaders.
He has also embraced the new Syrian transition president, Ahmed al-Sharaa. In both cases, critics called Sharaa and Mamdani “jihadists.” This kind of rhetoric may not be helpful. Trump has shown he can engage with different worldviews and seek to get to a “yes” with them. He did the same thing with the Gaza ceasefire, which critics and skeptics felt would fail.