Donald Trump's Post-Meeting Praise For Zohran Mamdani Proves He Only Wants One Thing

In what could very well be the political plot twist of the year, Republican President Donald Trump is apparently a big fan of Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Socialist who was elected Mayor of New York City earlier this month. Mamdani repeatedly got under Trump's skin during his mayoral campaign, with the president even threatening to cut funding to New York if Mamdani was elected. But Mamdani was undeterred by Trump's rants against him, and even flippantly called the president his "dear friend" during an appearance on "The View." 

As it turns out, that may have been foreshadowing. When the two spoke to the press after Mamdani's meeting with Trump at the White House on Nov. 21, it seemed as if the two were longtime pals. If you look on social media, you're sure to find plenty of memes poking fun at this unexpected development. That being said, some also believe that Trump's post-meeting praise for Mamdani ultimately betrays his one true desire: to be liked.

Trump begins the on-camera portion of his meeting with Mamdani with some gracious words about his campaign pic.twitter.com/47hswWKXLV

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 21, 2025

During their chat with the press, Trump not only spoke highly of Mamdani and his campaign, but even ran interference for him by dismissing potentially inflammatory questions from members of the press. For example, as relayed by CNN's Kaitlan Collins on X (formerly Twitter), Mamdani was asked at one point if he believes Trump is a fascist. Just as the NYC Mayor-Elect began to answer, Trump playfully cut him off and said, "That's okay, you can just say yes. That's easier. It's easier than explaining." Elsewhere during the press conference, Trump remarked that he would "absolutely" feel comfortable living in New York with Mamdani as mayor. As previously mentioned, some see this not as a complete change of heart on Trump's part, but rather an "if you can't beat them, join them" sort-of approach.

It's hardly a hot take to say that, despite his often-combative and abrasive demeanor, Donald Trump is someone who values his public perception above all else. His recent uncharacteristic jokes about wanting to get into heaven, for example, seem to suggest that despite his domineering persona, the president does indeed care what others think of him. This, some onlookers say, could serve to explain why he apparently got along so well with New York City Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani. After all, Mamdani possesses an undeniable charisma that endeared him to millions and helped elevate him from a relatively unknown politician to the leader of one of America's biggest cities. Why wouldn't someone like Trump want a piece of that action?

As one Bluesky user flatly stated, "Trump will suck up to anyone he perceives as popular and a winner. This is unchanged since the 1970s." Similarly, one user on X (formerly Twitter) believes that, if nothing else, Trump is fully aware of just how charismatic and well-liked Mamdani is, and knows that going tit for tat with him would likely be a losing battle. "Game knows game," they wrote, adding, "Trump inductively recognized Mamdani's charisma and like a snail reacting to salt, knew that he cannot overcome his youthful energy with old man rants!"

Finally, political commentator Ian Kochinski, aka Vaush, opined that Trump's apparent respect for Mamdani actually makes perfect sense, given that Mamdani is someone who is capable of matching Trump's "main character" energy. "For the last decade of his life, Trump hasn't really had any equals, right?" Kochinski said, elaborating, "He obviously does not respect JD Vance, Pam Bondi, Kristi Noem. ... They're like interns to him. He hasn't had a relationship like this in a long time."