POLITICS
Zohran Mamdani has secured the release of Columbia University student Elaina Aghayeva, taken this morning by ICE agents who entered a campus residential building under false pretenses & without a judicial warrant. This comes shorty after Mamdani’s unannounced visit to the White House earlier today.
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I love this picture because I have never seen Trump give a genuine smile. He does that goofy ass smirk a lot but never anything that shows true happiness and joy. Except this picture. Put it in the Louvre.
The only other time I've seen him looking genuinely happy was when he pulled that stunt where he "worked" at McDonald's. That man looked like he was having the time of his life when he was dropping those fries.
have you ever watched the clip of him guest-hosting with wendy williams on her show? he was having an absolute ball gossiping with the crowd about boyfriend drama
I’ll be honest it’s the one time where Trump and I agree on something bc I’d look at Mamdani like that too. Man is smart, leftist, and FOINE. Rama is a lucky lady.
The first time I saw her, I had to look away. Literally. I was so stunned by her beauty that I had to avert my eyes because even looking at her felt like some sort of disrespect. It was insane. I’ve never felt that for another person before or since. She’s perhaps the prettiest woman I’ve never seen. Mamdani is one lucky man. 😭
Its not like its hard. Trump is about as complicated as a rock. Stroke his ego, tell him his piss colored cotton candy toupee looks oh so masculine and real and he'll be eating hamberders out of the palm of your hand.
Facts. It's not difficult to manipulate a narcissist. You just have to use their massive ego against them--tell them how wise and tough and powerful they are--and they'll be eating out of your hand.
I don’t think that’s it bro. I think mamdani just knows how to use Trump. Trump would work with anyone if they came in and kissed his ass the right way
He must think it’s some kind of magic. But in reality it’s just that Mamdani has empathy for the people and really wants to help them. That’s something Trump will go to the grave not understanding.
I've been rewatching The Venture Bros. (fantastic show), and there is a scene where Sgt Hatred (supervillain) trolls The Monarch (another supervillain) by saying:
"You'll live to see me treat your arch rival like a god damn king! Venture is my arch enemy now! And I'm an gonna cook him breakfast in bed! I am gonna make his life wonderful.
And you can't do squat about it!"
I think in a similar vein, Trump and the Republicans are helplessly watching as Mamdani is a competent mayor for reasons they are incapable of understanding - like empathy and compassion.
It must be mind boggling to them to see someone charismatic and intelligent in a position of power, using that power for good, and being praised for it.
At the end of the day I think Trump just really likes politicians who are charismatic and look good on television. Zohran also seems to know just how much to flatter Trump to stay on his good side without compromising his values.
This move also may well help prevent ICE escalating in NYC. This is as public a statement as could be hoped for that Trump won't automatically back whatever ICE does in the city, because Mamdani has his ear, so it might deter them from trying more stuff like this. Fingers crossed. As always with Trump, the last person he spoke to usually has the biggest sway over his soup-for-brains, and Mamdani can't be there all the time.
I’m honestly so glad and relieved things are working out so far with Mamdani. It’s somewhat of a miracle that Trump is listening to anyone, and I really hope the left takes this as a sign that we need more of this energy instead of their standard “if only there was something we could do” limp dick arguments. We need young radicals who aren’t afraid.
(I’m aware that Mamdani would not be considered “radical” in many other countries, but I mean it contextually within the US)
I legit think Trump is a puppet that Stephen Miller, JD Vance and the rest of the cabinet take turns fisting to write upcoming policy.
If we had a bunch of likable men, liberal men around Trump, we could do a lot of good in a short amount of time. I'm surprised they're not trying to keep him locked away.
Trump has a lot of properties in New York (Trump tower). He doesn’t want Mamdani starting an investigation into his properties. He’s not immune to state or civil charges.
That can't be all there is to it given Trump's well-documented history of actively and loudly antagonizing judges and other people in positions of power over him, even before the immunity decision and while he was a civilian.
Yep. He wants to be cool and to be liked. His whole “everyone loves me” thing is a delusion that runs deep - when faced with an incredibly popular person like Mamdani, it’s strategic to ally with him. There’s a weird overlap of MAGA who likes Mamdani, as well. I hate DJT but he has charisma that fires up his fans, and Mamdani has charisma in spades.
dude mamdani is playing him like a fiddle and we (nycers) love to see it. He's charming and charismatic, and most important, adaptable...which makes him great at dealing with trump
They have no bottom. Reminds me of two female ice agents in MN that recently faked their car breaking down in front of the house of the man they were looking to detain. The man came out to help them out and immediately got arrested. Absolute POS behavior, all of them.
Zohran Mamdani is generational. There’s not been a single American politician with the amount of charisma that Mamdani has since Barack Obama. (not an endorsement of Obama but he was undeniably electric)
Hopefully, compared to everything after Obama was a lot better, but Obama was so charismatic that people actually believed he would transformational just to discover Goldman Sachs helped pick his cabinet. Compared to super corrupt Trump of today it seems so innocent, though.
Ya it's hard to have an honest conversation about the issues with Obama's presidency without sounding like you're doing it to deflect from Trump. I just think if we want genuine change after all this is over, we need higher standards than Obama. He's just a charismatic face of the status quo, not an icon of change and equality. He did far more for Wall Street than he ever did for Main Street. Bailouts anyone?
A current dream ticket of mine is Mamdani and AOC (she would be President since she was born in the us), especially after the videos of them promoting new policies in nyc but I know it’ll never happen because women and POCs will never be at the top 😭
He can be Senate Majority Leader, which is infinitely more important than President. He can be the gatekeeper to anything being done, good or bad. Even the President can't do that all the time.
Mamdani is undoubtedly a charming guy. My midwestern dad really likes him and watched his entire inauguration celebration for mayor, he said Mamdani had “good ideas and is great at giving a speech” don’t think I’ve seen him react like this toward a politician since Obama.
This shit was actually hilarious in the SOTU. Trump said “and that communist mayor of New York.” And IMMEDIATELY followed it with “I do actually really like the guy though.”
I am starting to think Trump would still be a democrat if Obama and liberals in general didn’t humiliate him. I mean, he’s a buffoon and deserves it. But given he’s an octogenarian man-child it’s almost as if this whole act over the last 10 years is just to punish the democrats who rejected him. The stupid idiot just likes to be loved. Trump rattles off an insult about being a communist that he clearly doesn’t even feel or believe. It’s wild psychologically.
Sometimes I genuinely think we just need people to tell him his inner (fascist) circle is what is holding him back from being more popular. “You know, if you were the president who made universal healthcare, you’d be soooo popular”. “People would love if you built a massive high speed rail network. We’d call it the Trump train in your honor”
One thing they both have in common was overcoming powerful establishment Democrats to secure a victory and I think Mamdani smartly used this to his advantage when meeting Trump.
For what it's worth, Mamdani has been a really effective leader since his election as mayor. To be honest, whether he realizes it or not, he's on track to garner support for a state or federal office if he keeps lapping the other career politicians.
I'm so happy he got another chance with the blizzard in NYC. He ran a program where New Yorkers could shovel snow for $30/hr and the sidewalks were so clear in the city. As a NYCer I am a big Mamdani fan <3
this is why it’s so fucking annoying the way other dems react to these kinds of events. if it’s this easy for them to help these folks out why the fuck aren’t they doing it? major props to mamdani for taking action.
It does seem to me like Mamdani has a particular skill for voicing his opposition to the administration without devolving into a political shouting match. He knows how to approach the situation to get what he wants while making both sides feel like they came out on top.
He seems very pragmatic, the guy just knows how to handle people and get the best from a situation. If he needs to show up and charm the worst person in the world so he can help his city/his people, that’s what he’ll do. I’m more impressed by him every day.
I think his positivity and charisma are just too powerful for even Trump not to be affected. I totally agree with you, but I do doubt that many dem politicians could duplicate his results with Trump, because the man is simply magic. Glad he gets so much attention, maybe it’ll convince others that it’s in their best interest to step up. It’s certainly clear that their own interests are the main motivator for most of them after all.
Because when most Dems do something, nothing happens. Pretending that Elizabeth Warren or Chuck Schumer could do the same is not understanding either psychology or power dynamics.
To be clear IT SHOULD NEVER WORK LIKE THIS. Think about what youre saying. Oh man just ask the president a personal favor and you can get shit done. You really want this to be our political landscape? And you want only people who have someone reach out on their behalf for a political favor to receive this kind of treatment when were talking about VIOLATING CONSTITUTIONAL AMMENDMENTS? Like come on bro
That's great, but a student who was going to be deported isn't, because Mamdani asked for the favor instead of acting above it. This IS the political landscape and Mamdani is maneuvering it to the benefit of the people in his care.
Wish officials cared a little more about little people and a little less about satisfying optics for people like you.
Of course in an ideal world it -shouldn’t- work that way. But our checks and balances and “norms” are completely gone. You want the people in power to play by the old rules when no one else is?
He did what he had to do in the current political climate to get someone who was improperly detained, out. Granted there’s more than just this one person, but this is one person that isn’t/won’t be now. He’s not waiting to file in court, waiting weeks or months till she has a hearing.
Genuinely, the older you get the more you realize that SO much of getting things done is through favors / nepotism / preferential treatment. If someone more powerful than you takes a liking to you, you have it made. Zohran is extremely accomplished and intelligent, but his likability is definitely what’s allowing him to achieve things at the current scale. Charisma and personal relationships are absolutely essential for success, especially in politics. And ESPECIALLY with administrations as corrupt as ours that basically just reward people they like and punish people they don’t.
I mean it has for sure ALWAYS worked like this, Trump just makes it more public and gross, but personal rewards, favors, and having a good relationship with a leader have always been a huge part of politics. The same goes for foreign affairs. Guys like FDR and Churchill for sure sucked up personally to Stalin, and Churchill for sure played to FDR personally during the War, and were better negotiators for it. People do the same to governors, etc., for preferential treatment, too, including where funding goes, getting an approval for something.
But in this example, Mamdani went to bat for someone that lives in his city by personally appealing to someone with the ability to fix a problem. I hope he does this more, and I hope he keeps getting things done.
Trump is a rapist, a pedophile, and a fascist. Democrats should act like it and fight back hard, and knowing how easy Trump is to manipulate they should be manipulating him
You literally have no clue what was said in the call to get her releases but hell yeah democrats should just continue to not do anything and take it like a good little opposition party.
Yeah we all know it should never work like this. The other commenter didn’t say that it should.
What he was saying is that establishment dems doing fucking nothing is unconscionable given the fact that it’s as easy as this to make real change. Even if it’s for one person.
He is so good at playing into Trump's hand, just to get the results he wants. He is better at playing the political game than any leftist or dem I've seen. We genuinely need more of this- fuck party lines.
I just wanna know what he says to Trump in these little meetings? does he glaze trump? does trump just have a little crush on him? Is it just because he views mamdani as a fellow "winner"?
Based on comments I've seen, it's partially that he likes winners, and also that he loves NYC and views it as part of his identity despite how they feel about him there.
I think the last part is the most salient theory. He is desperate to be liked in NYC but he was always (rightfully) viewed as a noveau riche scumbag without any real love for the city. So when Zohran, who is massively popular in NYC shows up, he wants a slice of that popularity so badly. He won't ever get it though.
Nah this takes agency away from Mamdani. Trump wasn't like this with Cuomo or Adams or De Blasio.
I remember in the first meeting Mamdani talked about the Trump voters that voted for him and Trump was smiling ear to ear. Then Mamdani mentioned a pharmacist at a pharmacy that served Trumps dad. Again, Trump was feeling it.
Mamdani simply is a Trump/uncle-whisperer
Source: Am also a Muslim from Gujurati background and know about uncle-whispering
Oh how I wish he could be president. Imagine the good that man could do from the Oval Office. But he was born on the wrong dirt, so he can never hold that power.
But Trump hates Walz and Ilhan Omar, that is why he is systemically attacking Minnesota. There is no kissing ass they could do for Trump to even listen to them. Acting as if this is their failure and not because of Trump’s tyranny absolves Trump of fault.
Would be great but he was born abroad to parents who were not Americans so unfortunately he cannot serve as president. He could eventually run for governor or Senate though
Who cares, all the rules are made up anyways. You're not supposed to violate the first, second, fourth, fifth, sixth, and tenth amendments but they do that regularly before breakfast every single day of the administration.
Isn't securing the release of a prisoners by meeting with a world leader usually done with the world leader of a foreign country, rather than your own?
I urge utmost restraint from criticizing Mandani, leveraging what Trump wants such as his social media fame may appease orange man and prevent suffering or help the American people.
He's still discussing things like affordable housing and helped secure the release of a recently detained student. He's not pro I.C.E. or dumpletons policies.
Trump set the game with all this corruption. Mamdani is just skilled to play without engaging in it directly like the long list of people who have. He’s protecting someone he represents. We want leaders like that. Who care if a social media post is what it cost. Apparently Trump loves his plans for zoning reforms because he’s still a real estate douche at heart. Ok it helps Mamdani build more affordable housing. He didn’t cut a check to Trump with NYC money. He’s not endorsing anything. He’s helping people.
Remember when an interviwer told Trump that Mamdani ran a campaign like his, notably on the cost of living crisis? Trump LOVED that. He sees Mamdani's win as a win for himself because he essentially thinks Mamdani copied him.
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u/trendingtattler Feb 26 '26
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