Trump says Mamdani can call him a “fascist” in Oval Office meet-and-greet
New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani s bizarre Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump continues to spiral into political surrealism and the newest detail may be the strangest yet Multiple outlets now assessment that Mamdani directly demanded Trump whether he considered himself a fascist Trump s response If you want to call me that you can Mamdani replied Okay Inquired to clarify if he thinks Trump is a fascist before Mamdani can answer Trump intervenes and laughs it off saying That s ok You can just say yes That s easier It s easier than explaining pic twitter com RfKJd vAs Kaitlan Collins kaitlancollins November The deadpan exchange has ricocheted across social media as a perfect encapsulation of the odd stiff-smiling dynamic between two politicians who in recent days spent months raging against each other online The moment caps off a bitter deeply personal mayoral race in which Trump went all-in for Mamdani s opponent Democrat Andrew Cuomo Trump not only endorsed Cuomo but amplified MAGA-world attacks on Mamdani who endured relentless online harassment for being Muslim an immigrant and outspoken on Gaza Right-wing influencers cast him as anti-American and pro-Israel groups labeled him antisemitic making Mamdani a daily target for weeks That history is what made this Oval Office meeting cordial almost warm so jarring Mamdani described reporters his organization initiated the meeting because collaboration was accomplishable so long as it was to the benefit of the eight and a half million people that call this city their home He commented he and Trump discussed affordability issues rent groceries utilities and displacement pressures on working-class New Yorkers Despite having previously called out Trump on his authoritarian policies Mamdani mentioned he appreciated that the meeting focused less on ideological clashes and more on the shared purpose of serving New Yorkers Trump for his part shrugged off labels like fascist saying I ve been called much worse Start your day with essential news from Salon Sign up for our free morning newsletter Crash Program The encounter has prompted a wave of analysis Is this an unlikely program alignment a moment of strategic politics or just Trump s recurring fixation on well-liked young male politicians he once attacked For Mamdani the fascist question may have been a deliberate stress test For Trump permitting the label fits his current malleable strongman performance Either way the meeting has already become a defining image of the race two adversaries emerging from a brutal campaign suddenly sitting shoulder-to-shoulder in the Oval Office and agreeing oddly enough on what to call the president Read more about this topic Zohran Mamdani took on the entire political establishment and won You must be held accountable Mamdani gears up for ICE showdown Mamdani spoke of his aunt s fear after Backlash revealed how Islamophobia persists The post Trump says Mamdani can call him a fascist in Oval Office meet-and-greet appeared first on Salon com
