I don't think Mamdani is naive enough to think that he can depend on the POTUS in any way for anything. On the other hand, NYC needs federal money for infrastructure and DOT money- there are 3 major airports in NYC alone, it has one of the oldest, largest and busiest subway systems in the world and the tunnel project for AMTRAK is way overdue and getting more expensive as time goes by.
I think Mamdani had more to lose by making a dangerous enemy before he even got into office than he did by standing for a photo op.
Mamdani has boatloads of rizz right now and donny wanted a piece of that action and to bask in the reflected light. Mamdani had congratulations from people all over the world and he's only the mayor of NYC, whereas 70% of Americans and 90% of the
world loathes donny and can't wait until he drops dead.
Mamdani is nobody's fool. The guy has had to work with some of the most powerful, wealthy and connected assholes the world has ever produced and I don't think he's a sucker. I think he weighed his choices and maybe decided if that midnight rants and death threats were going to come anyway, what does he have to lose by starting out with a cordial relationship and maybe getting funding the city really needs.
I don't see a school boy being chastised. I see a genuinely savvy political operator, manipulating the shit out of one of the dumbest bully's that ever sat in the Oval office by feigning deference in body language and giving nothing verbally. He never said he liked, trusted or admired donny in any way.
I saw Mamdani showing an easy-going natural class, charm and wit to a slobbering dullard who is desperate for the kind of attention that Mamdani attracts seemingly without any effort.
I think Zohran played donny like a fiddle. We'll see what comes out of it, if anything. I see what your point is, but Mamdani's responsibility as mayor-elect is to the city and I don't think he wanted to start out with an antagonistic relationship, which would hurt a lot more NYers in the short run and is probably going to happen eventually anyway.
It was not the same at all. Whitmer was suckered into doing a photo-op while Trump signed a terrible order targeting his critics. Nothing remotely like that happened in Mamdani's meeting. Mamdani did not concede anything from his platform.
You're quite right. I think it was a total win for Mamdani...the GOP had been painting him as a terrorist and the Dems as a communist, but the optics and the fawning over him by donny totally undermined the attacks from both sides.
You're right, they sandbagged her. But Mamdani started from a much, much stronger position and so the photo op with Whitmer was a bait n switch and they took advantage of her. They basically pranked her. I think with Mamdani, donny wanted to be close to that special love and affection that Mamdani receives and donny could never, ever get from anyone willingly on his own merit.
It seems to me less that Whitmer is not as powerful as Mamdani, as it is that donny is much, much weaker politically than he was 6 or 8 months ago. Not for nothing, but Whitmer as Governor was actually the victim of a plot to kidnap her by MAGA freaks, so in a way, the stakes were a lot higher for her...I mean, the threat to her life was real and she had more to lose than Zohran does.
..worth pointing out that of course Mamdani has been the focus of relentless caustic attacks from Trump and the whole GOP and plenty of Democrats , including Trump of course, from threats of deportation to intense Islamophobia.
The kidnapping attempt is pure insanity and would certainly put fear and wariness into anyone. I still worry for Mamdani's safety going forward tbh...but his skillful play over Trump might help blunt some of that energy too (another potential benefit of this meeting this writer doesn't bother to acknowledge...Mamdani took the wind out the GOP's purported strategy to link the Dems with him in one day)
If there’s anything that Gretchen Whitmer is not, it’s a sucker.
She shouldn’t have met with Trump. Nor should Mamdani have met with Trump. As far as Trump is concerned, both served his purpose. Nothing is worth that.
Whitmer was so ashamed she tried to escape covering her face with a folder. She was 'sandbagged' by Trump, as Eleanor notes above. That might be understandable on some levels (as Eleanor also points out), but it's still what happened.
It wasn't even her meeting with Trump that was the problem. It was that she got ushered into the Oval Office for a photo-op for an unrelated executive order signing, which was nothing remotely like the Trump Mamdani meeting.
Mamdani conceded nothing and did nothing to boost Trump, while simultaneously taking away a major GOP 'strategy' of linking his supposed radicalism with other Dem candidates. Mamdani had Trump eating out of his hand.
Yeah, Whitmer took a lot of grief for that. Again, her job is to take care of her state and she has a duty to try to get the best she can for her people. It's unpleasant and it's ugly and I didn't like it much, but I understand her position.
Donny is a truly detestable person and utterly incompetent, but he still has a lot of power.
What's making me sick is his daily wielding of power he doesn't have - viz. Venezuelan airspace, and pardoning the Biden-jailed drug lord running for re-election in Honduras.
The Contrarian has consistently either belittled Mamdani or has condescendingly remarked on his unprecedented defeat of both GOP billionaires and the Democratic party establishment since the mayoral primary. Centrist pundits and officials are sad that Mamdani once again showed his incredible political skills while making them look silly for dismissing him, again. He in no way 'lent himself to the president’s project', and the writer gives no examples of this.
Mamdani did not concede anything, and made a number of good points during their meeting. It's telling, but not surprising, that this article does not mention that Mamdani called Israel's catastrophe in Gaza 'genocide' in the Oval Office, something no one has ever done. This article can't mention even one point where Mamdani did not stand his ground or where he changed any view he had going into the meeting. Mamdani also proudly defended his position as a democratic socialist, also not mentioned here.
He was nothing at all like a 'little schoolboy', an incredibly patronizing description that is similar to so many other examples from 'centrist' press outlets. The comparison to journalists like Bill Maher and Joe Scarborough is also ridiculous - Mamdani is the elected leader of a huge city who will be responsible for millions of people, not a pundit who is responsible for nothing but viewership.. There is no way around the fact that Trump has a lot of direct power and influence over New York City. He did not meet Trump for a friendly dinner at Mar-a-Lago, as did the pundits listed here. This was an official meeting of two executive officials.
The comparison to Gretchen Whitmer is also silly - Whitmer allowed herself to be manipulated into showing support for a Trump order punishing those who opposed his 2020 election lies, to the point where she literally covered her face when being photographed. If anything, Mamdani reversed that appearance- he stood next to Trump while affirming that Trump is a fascist, that Israel is committing genocide, and that he is a democratic socialist, while Trump grinned and beamed at Mamdani like a 'little schoolboy'. If anyone was used, it was him.
It's also obvious that this isn't some 'friendship' that will last anyway. If a conversation can help Mamdani keep billions in federal aid from being cut off for even a period of time, that is a good thing. It is not assured in any case. He was able to get Trump on record saying he wanted to help the city. That in itself is something. Mamdani is certainly aware that Trump is 'mercurial', but that he is also easily swayed by someone with intelligence and charisma.
Thank you, Jason. You said it so I don't have to. Indeed, Mamdani played Trump perfectly -- in the process getting Trump to detonate Elise Stefanick's entire gubernatorial campaign. Anyone with any interest in the "establishment" continues to be remarkably threatened by Mamdani because he stands by his principles. Which he did in the White House too.
Trump threatened multiple times to cut off all federal aid to NYC if Mamdani were elected. Now he has backtracked and said he will work with the new mayor. Sounds like 8 million New Yorkers were well served. Oh, and Mamdani did call Trump a fascist to his face.
I came away unconvinced from this piece. A lot of broad statements but nothing clinched the premise. And the author relying on a James Carville quote to close the argument was not effective. Carville is well past his expiration date, lost his currency & is not going to lead us to the promised land. Electeds like Zohran Mamdani can & do inspire.
OMG. Another example of the cottage industry comprised of pundits holding progressives to nearly impossible standards. What next? Lambasting his sartorial choices?
Too soon to judge Mamdani by this visit alone. I, like many other New Yorkers, voted for him and support his vision and passion. There is likely more strategy here than meets the eye. As the Mayor-elect said, to get to any of us, Trump will need to go through all of us.
To an outsider, you come across as invested in Mamdani and unable to judge him objectively. While the visit may have been a rookie mistake and is probably of little consequence, it was still sanewashing. Mamdani’s supporters would be doing him a favor by expressing dismay.
Sorry, you misjudge me. Of course, I am "invested" in Mamdani (I voted for him), and will "judge" him as his term unfolds. But appearances, including Mamdani in the oval office, can be deceiving. Mamdani's true battle(s) and interaction with DC will begin Jan 1. May the year 2026 be better for democracy.
We agree -- as I stated above, I am "invested" in Mamdani's vision and passion, unlike so many of our flaccid democrats. I also donated (invested) money to his campaign, though I only hope he will be able to fulfill much of what he campaigned for. As I also stated, I will "judge" him as his term unfolds. Not sure what you refer to regarding "13-dimensional chess."
I'll be blunter: the man is a sociopath; hence the Hannibal Lecter comparison. Using any means, including charm, they work their prey until they gain an advantage. Then they strike. That is all. Look at the failed marriages, the crash-and-burn "friendships," the literal destruction of agencies and the White House edifice. This country needs to have a serious discussion about mental illness and elected office, and how to prevent sociopaths gaining the presidency.
Suffice it to say that there were plenty of people who thought that Mamdani did remarkably well and were startled that FOTUS turned into a fanboy. Including cutting off Elise Stefanik, currently running for NY Governor, at the knees by dismissing the key aspect of her campaign. I don't know the "body language expert" that you cite, and I stopped taking James Carville seriously a couple of decades ago.
The defects in Trump’s character are immutable and as he ages he will, as with most humans, become “more like himself.” He has shown no propensity for growth over time. So yes - be wary if you must engage with him and above all don’t get fooled. As the well known gospel lyric says, “Don’t let the devil ride, for soon he’ll want to drive!” This was our great mistake as a nation - we let the devil ride.
This isn’t how I read Mamdani’s stance at all, during that meeting. I didn’t see him standing, schoolboy-like, a prop for the emperor. Rather he held his ground and didn’t compromise any of his stated principles. The meeting ended with 47 being the one to come off looking silly. The legal work The Contrarian supports is invaluable. Editorializing in this vein doesn’t feel like the best use of Contrarian space and time.
I get wanting to see competing perspectives, but this perspective is utterly divorced from reality. Mamdani turned the entire "scary communist enemy" narrative around and played trump completely, literally called him a fascist in the Oval Office, and destroyed the evil Stefanik's campaign for governor as well as all the Fox/republican talking points and strategy against him. And instead of humanizing trump like Maher pathetically tried to do, he made trump look like a drooling fanboy in the process.
Perhaps I should have said that it was, indeed, a disappointment to me. That way there would be no point of disagreement since it would be a personal feeling.
Thanks for making this point. Some on the left have indulged in extreme pretzel logic to paint this sanewashing as a master stroke by Mamdani. For now, I’ll chalk up to inexperience what would be a disgrace coming from a seasoned politician.
Nah. I’ve had cataract surgery and my hearing is fine. My reaction to the meeting was one of disappointment in Mamdani; the doth-protest-too-much comments I’ve read here reinforce that my instincts are probably correct.
I don't think Mamdani is naive enough to think that he can depend on the POTUS in any way for anything. On the other hand, NYC needs federal money for infrastructure and DOT money- there are 3 major airports in NYC alone, it has one of the oldest, largest and busiest subway systems in the world and the tunnel project for AMTRAK is way overdue and getting more expensive as time goes by.
I think Mamdani had more to lose by making a dangerous enemy before he even got into office than he did by standing for a photo op.
Mamdani has boatloads of rizz right now and donny wanted a piece of that action and to bask in the reflected light. Mamdani had congratulations from people all over the world and he's only the mayor of NYC, whereas 70% of Americans and 90% of the
world loathes donny and can't wait until he drops dead.
Mamdani is nobody's fool. The guy has had to work with some of the most powerful, wealthy and connected assholes the world has ever produced and I don't think he's a sucker. I think he weighed his choices and maybe decided if that midnight rants and death threats were going to come anyway, what does he have to lose by starting out with a cordial relationship and maybe getting funding the city really needs.
I don't see a school boy being chastised. I see a genuinely savvy political operator, manipulating the shit out of one of the dumbest bully's that ever sat in the Oval office by feigning deference in body language and giving nothing verbally. He never said he liked, trusted or admired donny in any way.
I saw Mamdani showing an easy-going natural class, charm and wit to a slobbering dullard who is desperate for the kind of attention that Mamdani attracts seemingly without any effort.
I think Zohran played donny like a fiddle. We'll see what comes out of it, if anything. I see what your point is, but Mamdani's responsibility as mayor-elect is to the city and I don't think he wanted to start out with an antagonistic relationship, which would hurt a lot more NYers in the short run and is probably going to happen eventually anyway.
And his approach felt to me like Carney’s of Canada, who also played Trump “nicely, but played him.
Gretchen Whitmer was pilloried by the same people who support Mamdani for taking essentially the same stance.
It was not the same at all. Whitmer was suckered into doing a photo-op while Trump signed a terrible order targeting his critics. Nothing remotely like that happened in Mamdani's meeting. Mamdani did not concede anything from his platform.
You're quite right. I think it was a total win for Mamdani...the GOP had been painting him as a terrorist and the Dems as a communist, but the optics and the fawning over him by donny totally undermined the attacks from both sides.
You're right, they sandbagged her. But Mamdani started from a much, much stronger position and so the photo op with Whitmer was a bait n switch and they took advantage of her. They basically pranked her. I think with Mamdani, donny wanted to be close to that special love and affection that Mamdani receives and donny could never, ever get from anyone willingly on his own merit.
Yeah she was caught off guard, I am not blaming her really, i am just calling out the comparison made above.
It does say something that a mayor-elect who isn't even in office yet had a 'much much stronger position' than a sitting governor.
It seems to me less that Whitmer is not as powerful as Mamdani, as it is that donny is much, much weaker politically than he was 6 or 8 months ago. Not for nothing, but Whitmer as Governor was actually the victim of a plot to kidnap her by MAGA freaks, so in a way, the stakes were a lot higher for her...I mean, the threat to her life was real and she had more to lose than Zohran does.
Yeah she was, no argument from me ...
..worth pointing out that of course Mamdani has been the focus of relentless caustic attacks from Trump and the whole GOP and plenty of Democrats , including Trump of course, from threats of deportation to intense Islamophobia.
The kidnapping attempt is pure insanity and would certainly put fear and wariness into anyone. I still worry for Mamdani's safety going forward tbh...but his skillful play over Trump might help blunt some of that energy too (another potential benefit of this meeting this writer doesn't bother to acknowledge...Mamdani took the wind out the GOP's purported strategy to link the Dems with him in one day)
If there’s anything that Gretchen Whitmer is not, it’s a sucker.
She shouldn’t have met with Trump. Nor should Mamdani have met with Trump. As far as Trump is concerned, both served his purpose. Nothing is worth that.
Again, that is a completely false equivalency.
Whitmer was so ashamed she tried to escape covering her face with a folder. She was 'sandbagged' by Trump, as Eleanor notes above. That might be understandable on some levels (as Eleanor also points out), but it's still what happened.
It wasn't even her meeting with Trump that was the problem. It was that she got ushered into the Oval Office for a photo-op for an unrelated executive order signing, which was nothing remotely like the Trump Mamdani meeting.
Mamdani conceded nothing and did nothing to boost Trump, while simultaneously taking away a major GOP 'strategy' of linking his supposed radicalism with other Dem candidates. Mamdani had Trump eating out of his hand.
Not to mention Trump at least 3 times shook and patted Mamdani's hand. Let's hope Mamdani washed afterwards.
You guys just can’t face up to one of idols making a mistake.
No, you just can’t face up to making mistakes in your comments here.
her mistake was to cover her face with her notebook, thereby admitting I shouldn't be here...
Yeah, Whitmer took a lot of grief for that. Again, her job is to take care of her state and she has a duty to try to get the best she can for her people. It's unpleasant and it's ugly and I didn't like it much, but I understand her position.
Donny is a truly detestable person and utterly incompetent, but he still has a lot of power.
What's making me sick is his daily wielding of power he doesn't have - viz. Venezuelan airspace, and pardoning the Biden-jailed drug lord running for re-election in Honduras.
Thank you for saying exactly what I was thinking, only saying it way better than I could have!
Agree 100%.
This take is utter nonsense.
The Contrarian has consistently either belittled Mamdani or has condescendingly remarked on his unprecedented defeat of both GOP billionaires and the Democratic party establishment since the mayoral primary. Centrist pundits and officials are sad that Mamdani once again showed his incredible political skills while making them look silly for dismissing him, again. He in no way 'lent himself to the president’s project', and the writer gives no examples of this.
Mamdani did not concede anything, and made a number of good points during their meeting. It's telling, but not surprising, that this article does not mention that Mamdani called Israel's catastrophe in Gaza 'genocide' in the Oval Office, something no one has ever done. This article can't mention even one point where Mamdani did not stand his ground or where he changed any view he had going into the meeting. Mamdani also proudly defended his position as a democratic socialist, also not mentioned here.
He was nothing at all like a 'little schoolboy', an incredibly patronizing description that is similar to so many other examples from 'centrist' press outlets. The comparison to journalists like Bill Maher and Joe Scarborough is also ridiculous - Mamdani is the elected leader of a huge city who will be responsible for millions of people, not a pundit who is responsible for nothing but viewership.. There is no way around the fact that Trump has a lot of direct power and influence over New York City. He did not meet Trump for a friendly dinner at Mar-a-Lago, as did the pundits listed here. This was an official meeting of two executive officials.
The comparison to Gretchen Whitmer is also silly - Whitmer allowed herself to be manipulated into showing support for a Trump order punishing those who opposed his 2020 election lies, to the point where she literally covered her face when being photographed. If anything, Mamdani reversed that appearance- he stood next to Trump while affirming that Trump is a fascist, that Israel is committing genocide, and that he is a democratic socialist, while Trump grinned and beamed at Mamdani like a 'little schoolboy'. If anyone was used, it was him.
It's also obvious that this isn't some 'friendship' that will last anyway. If a conversation can help Mamdani keep billions in federal aid from being cut off for even a period of time, that is a good thing. It is not assured in any case. He was able to get Trump on record saying he wanted to help the city. That in itself is something. Mamdani is certainly aware that Trump is 'mercurial', but that he is also easily swayed by someone with intelligence and charisma.
Thank you, Jason. You said it so I don't have to. Indeed, Mamdani played Trump perfectly -- in the process getting Trump to detonate Elise Stefanick's entire gubernatorial campaign. Anyone with any interest in the "establishment" continues to be remarkably threatened by Mamdani because he stands by his principles. Which he did in the White House too.
As I said, like Carney of Canada did.
Trump threatened multiple times to cut off all federal aid to NYC if Mamdani were elected. Now he has backtracked and said he will work with the new mayor. Sounds like 8 million New Yorkers were well served. Oh, and Mamdani did call Trump a fascist to his face.
I came away unconvinced from this piece. A lot of broad statements but nothing clinched the premise. And the author relying on a James Carville quote to close the argument was not effective. Carville is well past his expiration date, lost his currency & is not going to lead us to the promised land. Electeds like Zohran Mamdani can & do inspire.
OMG. Another example of the cottage industry comprised of pundits holding progressives to nearly impossible standards. What next? Lambasting his sartorial choices?
You lost me at "body language expert".
And made sure that we didn't come back by citing Carville.
Word. For me Carville is now that old guy sitting on the verandah with a cold beer reminiscing about his glory days.
I'm sorry, but referring to Mamdani in any way as a "schoolboy" is racist. Words matter.
Too soon to judge Mamdani by this visit alone. I, like many other New Yorkers, voted for him and support his vision and passion. There is likely more strategy here than meets the eye. As the Mayor-elect said, to get to any of us, Trump will need to go through all of us.
To an outsider, you come across as invested in Mamdani and unable to judge him objectively. While the visit may have been a rookie mistake and is probably of little consequence, it was still sanewashing. Mamdani’s supporters would be doing him a favor by expressing dismay.
Sorry, you misjudge me. Of course, I am "invested" in Mamdani (I voted for him), and will "judge" him as his term unfolds. But appearances, including Mamdani in the oval office, can be deceiving. Mamdani's true battle(s) and interaction with DC will begin Jan 1. May the year 2026 be better for democracy.
I can’t help how you come across. When anyone starts going on about vision and passion and 13-dimensional chess, they sound invested.
We agree -- as I stated above, I am "invested" in Mamdani's vision and passion, unlike so many of our flaccid democrats. I also donated (invested) money to his campaign, though I only hope he will be able to fulfill much of what he campaigned for. As I also stated, I will "judge" him as his term unfolds. Not sure what you refer to regarding "13-dimensional chess."
I'll be blunter: the man is a sociopath; hence the Hannibal Lecter comparison. Using any means, including charm, they work their prey until they gain an advantage. Then they strike. That is all. Look at the failed marriages, the crash-and-burn "friendships," the literal destruction of agencies and the White House edifice. This country needs to have a serious discussion about mental illness and elected office, and how to prevent sociopaths gaining the presidency.
Suffice it to say that there were plenty of people who thought that Mamdani did remarkably well and were startled that FOTUS turned into a fanboy. Including cutting off Elise Stefanik, currently running for NY Governor, at the knees by dismissing the key aspect of her campaign. I don't know the "body language expert" that you cite, and I stopped taking James Carville seriously a couple of decades ago.
My dear Austin Sarat, I could not disagree with you more then I currently do.
I saw that other meeting, the one in which Mamdani played the old sleeping dementing racist with skill.
The defects in Trump’s character are immutable and as he ages he will, as with most humans, become “more like himself.” He has shown no propensity for growth over time. So yes - be wary if you must engage with him and above all don’t get fooled. As the well known gospel lyric says, “Don’t let the devil ride, for soon he’ll want to drive!” This was our great mistake as a nation - we let the devil ride.
This isn’t how I read Mamdani’s stance at all, during that meeting. I didn’t see him standing, schoolboy-like, a prop for the emperor. Rather he held his ground and didn’t compromise any of his stated principles. The meeting ended with 47 being the one to come off looking silly. The legal work The Contrarian supports is invaluable. Editorializing in this vein doesn’t feel like the best use of Contrarian space and time.
Well said.
I get wanting to see competing perspectives, but this perspective is utterly divorced from reality. Mamdani turned the entire "scary communist enemy" narrative around and played trump completely, literally called him a fascist in the Oval Office, and destroyed the evil Stefanik's campaign for governor as well as all the Fox/republican talking points and strategy against him. And instead of humanizing trump like Maher pathetically tried to do, he made trump look like a drooling fanboy in the process.
The meeting was, indeed, a disappointment and a let-down no matter how Mamdani tries to spin it.
Totally and completely disagree. Were you watching the wrong station?
Perhaps I should have said that it was, indeed, a disappointment to me. That way there would be no point of disagreement since it would be a personal feeling.
Heartening to address the Mandani meeting at the White House. Trump is cosplaying a role he can never assume given his behavioral history.
Thanks for making this point. Some on the left have indulged in extreme pretzel logic to paint this sanewashing as a master stroke by Mamdani. For now, I’ll chalk up to inexperience what would be a disgrace coming from a seasoned politician.
Do you need glasses and a hearing aid? You surely didn't witness but the majority of us saw and heard.
Nah. I’ve had cataract surgery and my hearing is fine. My reaction to the meeting was one of disappointment in Mamdani; the doth-protest-too-much comments I’ve read here reinforce that my instincts are probably correct.