The expected — and even hoped for — explosion between President Trump and New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani turned out to be a festival of mutual admiration.
Because good news doesn’t sell, there were surely some long faces in American newsrooms Friday afternoon.
The expected — and even hoped for — explosion between President Trump and New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani turned out to be a festival of mutual admiration.
Given the grim forecast, it was as shocking as if cats and dogs decided to make a love story.
Most important for New Yorkers of all stripes, there was very real substance to the friendly vibes and pledges of cooperation.
The president was so pleased with their initial 45-minute private meeting that he withdrew his previous threat to slash federal funding for Gotham because of Mamdani’s election and promised instead to help the city.
“I expect to be helping him, not hurting him,” Trump said as Mamdani stood beside him in the Oval Office, with the president sitting behind his glorious desk.
Trump added his view that he and the democratic socialist pol “agree on a lot more than I would have thought.”
“I want him to do a great job, and we’ll help him do a great job,” Trump added.
In a rebuke to the naysayers, he also said, “I would feel very, very comfortable being in New York, and I think much more so after the meeting.”
Color me delighted by the rare moment in politics where the surprise was all to the upside.
As I watched the chummy press conference and friendly body language between them, it struck me that the moment marked a huge win for both men.
And it was all free of charge because it cost neither of them anything to show the other respect. A lost art
The ability to get along with adversaries is something of a lost art in politics these days, even though most Americans want their elected officials to work together for the common good.
But social media and rabid party-first types dominate on both left and right, and as the temperature rises, the attacks have gotten nastier.
It’s not a coincidence that political violence is growing more common as a result.
Trump, of course, has been a victim of that violence, and has long established himself as an unbeaten counterpuncher.
But he took a very different approach Friday, playing the genial role of an experienced and friendly elder as he and Mamdani put on a clinic on how simple respect can be simultaneously good manners and good politics.
