President Trump set a trap for New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.
Mamdani then walked right into it.
And Trump just set this unreal ambush for Zohran Mamdani.
As West Wing Daily reports:
The media expected Trump and Mamdani to brawl over crime, ICE, and socialism.
Instead, Trump and Mamdani had a jovial encounter in which they highlighted areas of common ground, such as making New York more affordable.
CNN’s Jake Tapper described his reaction as “flabbergasted.
“And an extraordinary, flabbergasting scene in the Oval Office today. While some may have expected tension or even fireworks in the first-ever meeting between New York City’s first-ever Muslim mayor and the first president to ever have called for a ban on all Muslims entering the country, instead, we got handshakes, pats on the back, niceties,” Tapper said on CNN.
Trump used the meeting to show Americans that Mamdani and other Democrats were just using WWE-style fake rhetoric when they called him a fascist.
A reporter asked Mamdani if he still wanted to call Trump a fascist now that he was standing next to the President in the Oval Office.
Trump cut it and told Mamdani just to say yes as laughter erupted.
“That’s okay, you can just say yes,” Trump stated.
“Okay. Okay,” Mamdani added.
“It’s easier. It’s easier than explaining it. I don’t mind,” Trump said, implying that it was as for Mamdani to play along rather than admit calling Trump was just a line they used to mobilize their base that no one really believed.
Trump is also a master of optics.
And liberals quickly noticed that pictures told a 1,000-word story.
Independent Veterans of America founder Paul Rieckhoff said that Trump made sure Americans saw images of Trump sitting.
At the same time, Mamdani stood, showing that the leader of the Democratic Party was Trump’s lesser.
“Trump has Mamdani in such a subservient position in this entire setup. Ensured he’s sitting and Mamdani is standing. Not even showing enough respect to stand. Drafting off his popularity and star power, and the cost-of-living urgency. But also making Mamdani look subordinate and compromised. Trump eats and taints everything. And this meeting will only do the same to Mamdani.” Rieckhoff wrote on X.
Rieckhoff described the meeting as a win for Trump since Mamdani endorsed the idea that Trump was a reasonable statesman, and not the monster Democrats claim, just by his presence and conduct.
“Especially with his socialist base. It’s all a show. And today, it’s on Trump’s stage. This is no win for Mamdani. A win for Trump if it makes him seem reasonable,” Rieckhoff continued
Rieckhoff lamented that Trump pulled a power move that showed Mamdani and his fellow Democrats who was really boss.
“Trump never stood up when he shook Mamdani’s hand. He looked powerful and drew off the winning vibes and star power. And it will normalize him with many. With moderates and some on the left, and folks who wanna hear a focus on affordability. Mamdani was very deferential. Trump got what he wanted,” Rieckhoff concluded.
