NYC Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani’s trip to the White House is still being opined about in just about every corner of the internet. Mamdani stopped by The Adam Friedland Show and, when the host asked him what the most weird thing he saw at the White House was, Mamdani’s answer gave a small glimpse of exactly what occupies Donald Trump’s mind.
Mamdani and Trump are both still being praised for their show of cordial respect at the Oval Office. The two have very pronounced differences, which they’ve been rather outspoken about. Trump even yielded to Mamdani’s assessment of his leadership style being despotic because “it would be easier.” But they somehow got out of the meeting each happy with the agreements they made to improve the affordability of New York City residents.
Happy with a successful post-campaign season where he not only figured out how to convince New York residents of his vision but also made a deal with Trump on the actionable steps they can take to see that through, his demeanor on Friedland’s podcast was very relaxed. Mamdani approached the podcast as a sort of debriefing where he discussed how Eric Adams making the city more unaffordable actually drove him to run for office and even whether he was surprised that Trump took such a liking to him.
Friedland wanted to know how Mamdani — known for his frankly endless smiling during campaigns — was adamant about keeping a straight face when beside Trump. Ever the astute politician who knows when to stay on topic, Mamdani claimed that the reason he didn’t smile throughout their meeting was because he was “thinking about New York City.”
After all, what actually gave Mamdani the upper hand during the campaign was his insistence that he was not interested in any foreign country or anything that doesn’t directly affect New York City residents. Eventually, Friedland decided to give him more casual questions and asked him what the most weird thing he saw at the White House was.
“I sit down, waiting for the time of the meeting, and in front of me are all of these different coffee-table books.” Mamdani continued, “And one of them is UFC at the White House. I had no idea, and I was just flippin’, flippin’ through that.” When Friedland followed up with whether his newfound kinship with Trump would guarantee him an invite to the White House-hosted UFC event, Mamdani didn’t offer much beyond amusement.
Trump has overseen some pretty controversial updates and renovations to the White House in his time. Who can forget those Melania Trump Christmas trees? Or his very own concrete touch to the Rose Garden. And let’s not forget the ballroom that’s partially being funded by legal strong-arming from his former supposed political adversaries in the media.
Trump’s updates to the White House aside — regardless of what people ultimately feel about them or how tacky they end up looking — it’s his right as the president. But his focus on the upcoming UFC tournament while people are struggling to keep up with their healthcare, rising talks of a Venezuelan regime change, and just about everything else going on would be laughable if it was not already quite concerning.
