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Jack Posobiec not the only person surprised by cordial meeting between President Donald Trump and New York City’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani after months of name-calling
Joe SommerladTuesday 25 November 2025 11:16 GMTComments
CloseDonald Trump reacts as Zohran Mamdani answers question on whether he thinks the president is a fascist
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MAGA pundit Jack Posobiec has said he was surprised by President Donald Trump’s unexpectedly cordial meeting with New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani at the White House on Friday.
Before their first in-person encounter, the pair had traded vicious barbs at a distance throughout the democratic socialist’s victorious run for City Hall, with Trump calling him a “100% Communist Lunatic” and threatening to withdraw federal funding to his hometown if he won.
But, contrary to expectations, they seemed to get on famously in the Oval Office, with the president even reacting good-humoredly when a reporter asked Mamdani whether he still considered Trump a “fascist,” telling his guest to answer “yes” because it was easier than mounting an explanation.
open image in galleryNew York City’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani shakes hands with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on Friday November 21 (AP)Speaking to Newsmax host Rob Finnerty Monday evening, Posobiec claimed that he and other members of the MAGA media world had been briefed in advance that the White House intended to keep the sitdown friendly.
“We were actually told beforehand that this White House’s strategy was to be welcoming and for it to be cordial,” he told Finnerty. “I wouldn’t say I was necessarily expecting a full-on bromance.”
Posobiec went on to argue that the approach may have been highly calculated from Trump’s point of view, given that the president may not want to be drawn into Mamdani’s ambitious plans to make the Big Apple more affordable by introducing policies like rent freezes and free city buses, in case they fail.
“Look, they’re in a situation now where if and when these communist, race-based policies – which I asked Mamdani about – completely fail in New York, now they can’t turn around and blame it on Trump,” the commentator said.
Also reacting to the meeting with raised eyebrows was influential radio host Charlamagne Tha God, who said on Monday’s episode of his syndicated show The Breakfast Club that the exchange should mark an end to extreme political name-calling.
“I don’t want to hear any politicians call each other ‘fascists,’ ‘authoritarians,’ ‘wannabe dictators,’ ‘communists,’ none of that kind of rhetoric anymore,” he said.
“It’s all dead. Because if you call someone that, and then turn around and say, ‘But I’m willing to work with them,’ it looks hypocritical.”
open image in galleryRadio host Charlamagne Tha God had mixed feelings about the president and mayor-elect’s newfound bond (Getty)The host also responded to Mamdani’s subsequent appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, in which he claimed that he still believes Trump is a fascist.
"So, if Zohran truly believes Trump is a fascist, then working with him makes zero sense, but this is my issue,” Charlamagne said. “He doesn’t fully believe Trump is a fascist, just like Trump doesn’t fully believe Mamdani is a communist. It’s all political theater.
“You know who it hurts the most? Us! You done told your aunt and three of your cousins, ‘F*** you, you [are] not invited to Thanksgiving this year’ because of who they supported politically. Meanwhile, the people we supported politically are willing to support each other.
“If Zohran and Trump can be in the White House smiling at each other and excessively touching on each other, then you and your family can enjoy Thanksgiving dinner together. Okay?”
Legendary New York filmmaker Spike Lee also weighed in on the twist, saying he found it “puzzling” that the two men had managed such a “quick turnaround” after so much previous animosity.
open image in galleryNew York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik’s run to be the Empire State’s next governor could be complicated by Trump’s new friendship with Mamdani (Getty)Whether the friendship will really blossom remains to be seen, but one person whose development complicates matters is New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik.
The MAGA congresswoman – who was nominated to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations by Trump before being stood down to avoid jeopardizing the GOP’s slim majority in the House of Representatives – is attempting to challenge Democratic incumbent Kathy Hochul in what promises to be an uphill struggle in a deep blue state.
Stefanik has already attempted to argue that New York City will not be a safe place to live under Mamdani and has called him a “jihadist,” two claims that Trump walked away from on Friday.
“I stand by my statement,” Stefanik told News 12 in an interview Monday. “He is a jihadist. This is an area where President Trump and I disagree. But what we all want to work toward is making New York more affordable and safe, and that’s where I have a very strong record and working relationship with the administration.”
But for Trump loyalist Laura Loomer, her campaign for governor is now dead in the water. “Dems just need to run clips of the presser today to defeat Elise,” she wrote on X after the Trump-Mamdani meeting.
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Donald TrumpZohran MamdaniJack Posobieccharlamagne tha godNewsmaxNew York CitySpike LeeElise StefanikKathy HochulLaura LoomerJoin our commenting forum
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