After calling the New York City mayor-elect a “communist” and “lunatic” over the past several months, questioning his citizenship and threatening to arrest him, President Donald Trump said that he would “be cheering for” Zohran Mamdani after meeting with him in the Oval Office on Nov. 21.

Yes, you read that right.

Trump went so far as to say he would “absolutely” live in a New York City led by Mamdani, and said that he thought the 34-year-old democratic socialist could be “a really great mayor.”

“I think he is going to surprise some conservative people, actually,” Trump said during the meeting.

Did that really just happen? Did Trump just singlehandedly torpedo the “Mamdani is bad” agenda that Republicans have been preparing to push in the 2026 midterm elections? Did hell freeze over?

Zohran Mamdani won whatever that meeting was

Mamdani’s star power clearly won over Trump, who said the two had more in common than he expected. The president clearly sees him as someone who is going to be a rising star in the Democratic Party, and someone who was able to win over a surprising number of Trump voters in the 2025 election.

“He wants to see no crime. He wants to see housing being built. He wants to see rents coming down, all things that I agree with,” Trump said. “Now we may disagree how we get there.”

Mamdani, who had previously told Chris Hayes of MSNBC that he wanted to talk with the president about public safety and the cost of living, stuck to that plan. It was a strategy that paid off, much like when you find common ground with your uncle during Thanksgiving dinner.

I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. At the end of the day, two Queens men finding common ground on the cost of living in New York City is something that happens in bodegas across the borough every day. And Trump is easily won over – or at least good at putting on a show for the news media.

Will Trump's newfound civility hold?

The verdict is still out on whether this warmth will hold into next year's elections, when Republicans are sure to use Mamdani as a foil to scare voters into heading to the polls.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, Republican candidate for New York governor, has previously called Mamdani a “jihadist” and is sure to fearmonger as a way to win votes outside the city.

And even if the president was admitting that he found common ground with Mamdani, the Republican Party is still properly freaking out over the prospect of a democratic socialist leading the most populous city in the country. Earlier on Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on a resolution to condemn the "horrors" of socialism.

These are things Mamdani should be aware of as he processes his new working relationship with Trump. He should be cautiously optimistic – Trump has a habit of zigging when expected to zag, and he could just as easily go online and call Mamdani a “communist” again tomorrow. But for now, it seems like this was the best scenario for the afternoon meeting.

What’s this feeling? Cautious optimism? Can’t be.

Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Pequeño on X, formerly Twitter: @sara__pequeno

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mamdani just won whatever that Trump White House meeting was | Opinion

Reporting by Sara Pequeño, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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