- Zohran Mamdani’s friendly Oval Office meeting with Trump enrages socialists who see it as betrayal, sparking debates over pragmatism versus purity.
- Caught between governing needs and ideological promises, Mamdani faces criticism for compromises like keeping the NYPD commissioner, testing democratic socialism’s limits.
In a political plot twist that few could have predicted, New York City’s incoming mayor Zohran Mamdani—the self-described democratic socialist who stunned the nation by toppling a Democratic heavyweight in the primaries—sat down with President Donald Trump for what some are calling an improbable bromance.
The Friday meeting at the White House, meant to be a tense negotiation over federal aid for the Big Apple, instead unfolded like a scene from an alternate-reality sitcom: smiles, handshakes, and even a lighthearted exchange about fascism.
But back home, the socialist faithful are tearing into each other, with one prominent outlet slamming it as a “grotesque love-fest” while others see it as a savvy power move.
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As Mamdani prepares to take office, this odd couple’s encounter is forcing a reckoning in progressive circles about pragmatism versus purity.
Let’s rewind a bit to understand why this moment feels so jarring.
Trump-Mamdani Relationship Mark a Pivotal Point
Mamdani’s June primary victory over former Governor Andrew Cuomo wasn’t just an upset; it was a seismic shift that rippled through American politics.
The 33-year-old state assemblyman, known for his fiery advocacy on housing affordability and police reform, rode a wave of grassroots energy to promise voters sweeping changes—like rent freezes and defunding aspects of the NYPD.
Trump, never one to miss a chance for bombast, immediately branded him a “dangerous ‘communist lunatic'” who would turn New York into a dystopian nightmare.
Fast-forward five months, and there they were in the Oval Office, chuckling over shared gripes about the city’s crumbling transit system.
The backdrop couldn’t have been more charged. Just days earlier, the House of Representatives steamrolled through a resolution condemning the “horrors of socialism,” passing it 285-98 with a chunk of Democrats jumping aboard.
The vote, timed awkwardly close to Mamdani’s Washington visit, felt like a not-so-subtle jab at the rising star of the American left.
Yet Trump, ever the showman, flipped the script. Reporters watched as the president quipped that he was fine with Mamdani’s past label of him as a “fascist”—it was “easier than explaining” his own side of things, Trump said with a grin.
He even mused that he’d feel right at home in Mamdani’s New York, “especially after the meeting,” adding that they had “more in common with their goals and political views” than he’d anticipated.
For Mamdani, the trip was about brass tacks: securing federal bucks to fix a subway where one in five riders can’t scrape together the $2.90 fare.
In a post on X afterward, he laid it out plainly: “Working people have been left behind in New York. In the wealthiest city in the world, one in five can’t afford $2.90 for the train or bus. As I told Trump today— it’s time to put those people right back at the heart of our politics.”
No grand ideological showdown, just a mayor-elect doing what mayors do—haggling for resources.
But the real fireworks erupted not in D.C., but online and in the pages of leftist publications.
The World Socialist Web Site (WSWS), a Trotskyist outlet with a nose for ideological betrayal, unloaded with both barrels.
In a blistering takedown, editor Joseph Kishore accused Mamdani of cozying up to a “would-be dictator” amid an administration that’s “carrying out an unrelenting assault on the working class, slashing food stamps, threatening Social Security and Medicare, destroying public education, waging a war on public health and orchestrating the largest transfer of wealth from the working class to the oligarchy in American history.”
Kishore zeroed in on Mamdani’s tiptoeing around hot-button issues like immigration, policing, and U.S. policy toward Israel, claiming the mayor-elect “bent over backwards to avoid any mild criticism of Trump.”
The fascist quip? A missed opportunity turned farce, where “Mamdani allowed Trump to respond for him…thus the pair jointly agreed that Trump is a fascist, but that this would be no hinderance to their blooming ‘partnership.'”
Ouch.
An Opportunity for Democrats?
Not everyone’s buying the outrage. Over at Jacobin, the scrappy socialist magazine out of New York, contributor Ben Burgis struck a more measured tone, framing the dust-up as a symptom of Mamdani’s growing clout.
“Mamdani’s political opponents are threatened by his unapologetic democratic socialism, and they’re trying a range of strategies to neutralize it,” Burgis wrote, pointing to Trump’s post-meeting “seal of approval” as less a endorsement and more a sign of desperation.
With the economy sending mixed signals—jobs reports up, but wages stagnant for many—Burgis argues that Mamdani’s brand of populism is tapping into a broader discontent that even Trump can’t ignore.
“When it comes to the politics of the here and now, though, the plain fact is that most Americans don’t find what democratic socialists are proposing particularly horrifying. And at least for the moment, that puts reactionaries like Trump on the back foot.”
It’s a reminder that charisma can be a weapon, and Mamdani’s got it in spades.
The divide isn’t just confined to theory-spinners; it’s playing out in real time on social media, where reactions range from gleeful schadenfreude to outright alarm.
Democratic commentator Harry Sisson couldn’t resist the troll: “Trump is posting photos of his love fest with Mamdani while MAGA is melting down online over the meeting. It’s just too funny. The Republicans are in complete shambles!”
Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks saw a silver lining in the civility: “Trump saving Mamdani from the fascist question was a nice moment, both for the country and for Trump.
He seemed magnanimous and thick-skinned, two traits he’s not overly known for. It was a much better look. Press tried to goad them and neither one bit. Happy to see it.”
On the flip side, far-right firebrand Laura Loomer— a die-hard Trump ally with a megaphone for anti-Muslim rhetoric—was apoplectic.
“It would be nice to see the admin not give Mamdani a total pass for his support of Islamic terrorism and his incitement of hatred against White people and non-Muslims,” she posted on X.
Loomer dredged up Mamdani’s campaign ties to controversial figures, including a 1993 World Trade Center bombing suspect, and warned of “anti-white racism and normalization of Islamic supremacy.” Her plea? More “moral clarity” from the GOP, lest they normalize a “communist” with Hamas backing.
Something Smells Fishy?
This schism within the socialist ecosystem isn’t happening in a vacuum.
Mamdani’s already facing heat from his own side for alleged backpedaling. Critics point to his decision to keep NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch on the job, a far cry from the reformist fire he breathed on the trail. And then there’s the awkward alliance with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, where the duo urged activist Chi Ossé—who stumped for Mamdani—to drop a primary challenge against House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Mamdani’s line? Ossé “should remain a councilman” and “focus…right here on New York City.”
To purists, it smells like establishment compromise; to pragmatists, it’s the cost of governing.
Zoom out, and Mamdani’s story is a microcosm of the left’s eternal tug-of-war: idealism versus the gritty reality of power.
His primary win was hailed as a rebuke to the Cuomo-era machine, but skeptics warned he was overpromising on everything from universal childcare to climate action.
Now, with Trump unexpectedly playing nice—perhaps eyeing New York’s electoral votes or just enjoying the chaos—the question lingers: Is Mamdani selling out, or outmaneuvering a fractured opposition?
As the dust settles, one thing’s clear: This isn’t just about one meeting.
It’s a litmus test for what democratic socialism looks like when the ballots are counted and the Oval Office beckons.
Mamdani’s charisma might be “unmistakable,” as Burgis puts it, but translating that into tangible wins for New York’s working stiffs will take more than charm.
With inauguration day looming on January 1, 2026, the eyes of the nation—and a divided left—are locked on City Hall.
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