'Political vampire': Analyst says Trump is embracing Dem foe out of self-preservation

In their first meeting today at the Oval Office, President Donald Trump and New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani struck a surprisingly cordial tone, sparking a Daily Beast analyst to wonder if there is “a method behind the niceness.”

In a new analysis on Friday, Daily Beast chief national correspondent David Gardner described the encounter as a calculated move by Trump, who saw the moment as “an opportunity.” Gardner told readers that the meeting allowed the MAGA leader to position himself beside a rising political figure who embodies qualities he lacks.

“The New York City Mayor-elect has everything that Trump does not,” Gardner wrote. “He is a genuine man of the people and walked the breadth of his city on foot to meet them, while Andrew Cuomo was hiding in his fancy apartment, counting the cash from his billionaire donors.”

He added: “He knows what groceries cost because he doesn’t have flunkies to pay for them. He takes the bus, he flies commercial, and he is just 34... not 79.”

Eleven months into his second White House term, Trump, meanwhile, is battling declining poll numbers, scrutiny over his tariff policy, and criticism surrounding his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and other policy issues, according to Gardner.

“He can divert, procrastinate and lie about these issues. And move on. He’s a master at it,” the analyst continued. “But he is being questioned about the cost of living, as much as he claims it’s going down. Americans go to the store. They know how much eggs cost. They can look at their bank statements.”

By standing alongside Mamdani, Gardner argued, Trump could attempt to absorb the mayor-elect’s authentic voice on affordability.

“Trump respects winners. Especially when he can take some of their shine,” he concluded. “He’s a political vampire, and he was determined to suck the popularity out of the younger man who stood next to him behind the Resolute Desk.”

“The president didn’t see the emergence of Zohran Mamdani as a bad thing,” Gardner added.

"Far from it.”