Donald Trump may have complicated the campaign trail for a GOP hopeful by meeting with Zohran Mamdani, according to a political commentator.
The president would call the New York City mayor elect a "really good" candidate for the job, with a flood of compliments from Trump surprising political commentators. Nick Reisman, writing in Politico, believes the impression Mamdani made on the president, and Trump's subsequent comments, puts the gubernational bid of Elise Stefanik at risk.
Rep. Stefanik is building her campaign against Governor Kathy Hochul but Reisman believes Trump has blown Stefanik's chances out of the water by heaping praise onto Mamdani.
Stefanik had made it clear where she stands on Mamdani, telling News 12 earlier today, "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."
The hard line against Mamdani in Stefanik's campaign has collapsed according to Reisman, who wrote, "The New York Republican is mounting an uphill gubernatorial bid in a deep blue state, building her campaign on the argument that Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul is the nation’s worst chief executive — and tying Hochul to the 34-year-old democratic socialist who will soon lead New York City. Trump blew up that message in minutes."
"In the Oval Office, he said he wouldn’t worry about living in New York under Mamdani, noted how many voters they share and even complimented the mayor-elect’s looks. And in a rare bit of daylight with Stefanik, he declined to repeat her claim that Mamdani is 'a jihadist.'"
Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel noted the striking impression Mamdani had left on the president, suggesting Trump may even prefer the 34-year-old democratic socialist to JD Vance.
Kimmel said, "Trump now looks over in the corner, he sees JD Vance. All sweaty and eager. Looks away, he sees Stephen Miller, sucking on his pinkies and he looks around at all these weird, unattractive, AI-generated human vomits in his office and is like, 'Why can't I have this Mamdani around?'"
Mamdani would say of his meeting with Trump, "It was a productive meeting focused on a shared admiration and love which is New York City, and the need to deliver affordability to New Yorkers, the 8.5 million people who call our city their home, who are struggling to afford life in the most expensive city in the United States of America."
