THE FRIENDZONE

What Trump’s Surprising New Bestie Really Says About Him

It’s not just about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer.

Opinion

At first blush, this story from Axios might surprise you. President Trump has a “surprising phone pal” and has “texted back and forth recently” with New York City’s new mayor Zohran Mamdani, the site reported:

The back-channeling between the democratic socialist mayor and Trump… indicates their private communications have been more extensive than previously thought. It also suggests that the good vibes they presented during Mamdani’s post-election visit to the Oval Office in November have developed into an ongoing relationship.

Of course, before Mamdani’s election, Trump had called him a socialist, a communist, a leftist, a wacko. He once said that, if Mamdani was elected, the Big Apple would cease to exist.

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Here’s the thing, though: Trump doesn’t really mean (or believe) most of the stuff he says in public. He says it because it motivates his base. It gets him attention. It keeps him in the mix.

Because it’s provocative.

Most of what Trump says is done with a wink and a nod, a sort of you’re-in-on-the-joke knowingness. That wink is, of course, totally missed by a large part of his base who think he really hates the media or the “elites” or whoever. And they carry that view with them throughout their daily lives—often with real and lasting consequences.

(Sidebar: If you want to understand Marjorie Taylor Greene’s evolution from rabidly pro-Trump to Trump skeptic, this is the perfect lens: MTG circa 2016 thought Trump really believed everything he said. MTG 2025 realized he believes almost none of it.)

Consider Mamdani. He’s a star. A celebrity. Someone who is “hot” in the political zeitgeist. He’s also the mayor of Trump’s hometown. Trump was always going to get along with him privately. Trump loves stars. He loves people with buzz, people who other people talk about. He loves these sorts of folks because that’s who he considers himself. And he loooooooves himself.

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So I wasn’t surprised in the least when their November meeting at the White House went well. It was a downright lovefest. Hell, Trump even told Mamdani he was even more handsome in person!

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Nor am I surprised that Trump and Mamdani have stayed in contact. Because Trump likes to be liked by the people he considers to be on his level of fame and stardom. He isn’t really ideological at all. That’s all just for show.

(And it’s of course in Mamdani’s interest to have a good relationship with Trump because of the amount of federal money that flows into New York City every year.)

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It’s not just Mamdani either. Earlier this week, after she delivered an economic-focused speech blasting Trump, the president picked up the phone and called Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Here’s how The Washington Post reported on the call: “The two erstwhile foes discussed housing legislation and the proposed cap on credit card rates. It was ‘a good call’ that occurred spontaneously, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.”

That’s the same Elizabeth Warren that Trump has spent a decade calling “Pocahontas” and mocking more broadly. Why would he call her after she ripped him in a speech? Again, because he doesn’t really mean what he says and the nasty names he coins! For him, it’s all a big game—and he respects other people who play it at his level.

This doesn’t excuse Trump, of course. But it’s why understanding the Mamdani-Trump relationship is important. It illuminates who Trump really is: A dealmaker, a clout-chaser and a non-ideologue who just likes being around the rich and famous.

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Want more ball and strike calling—no matter what uniform the batter at the plate is wearing? Check out Chris Cillizza’s Substack and YouTube channel.

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