Kaitlan Collins was shocked during Zohran Mamdani’s visit to the Oval Office when the mayor-elect called Donald Trump a fascist to his face — all with the president’s pleasant goading and permission.
Trump surprised the political world Friday afternoon when his scheduled Oval Office meeting went off cordially – there were even moments where the president seemed to enjoy his time with the 34-year-old Mamdani. Trump even let him off the hook when Mamdani was asked if he stood by previous comments where he said Trump was fascist.
“I’ve spoken about …” Mamdani began.
“That’s OK,” Trump interrupted, smiling and eventually patting Mamdani’s arm good-naturedly. “You can say yes. It’s easier. It’s easier than explaining. I don’t mind.”
“OK,” Mamdani said with a shrug. “Alright. Yes.”
CNN’s Collins exalted the moment on social media after seeing it. Commenting in a now-pinned statement on influencer Evan Ross Katz’s Instagram post on the encounter, the news network’s chief White House correspondent called it “an amazing moment in politics.” She also posted a clip of the question on her own personal page.
The Trump-Mamdani meeting had that effect on many who watched Friday afternoon. The pair were cordial and Trump was so complimentary that Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade wondered if Vice President JD Vance was “jealous” of the interaction. Trump even came off voicing support for Mamdani’s efforts to improve New York City and that he might even surprise conservatives.
“I think you’re going to have, hopefully, a really great mayor. The better he does, the happier I am,” Trump said. “There’s no difference in party, there’s no difference in anything. And we’re going to be helping him to make everybody’s dream come true. Having a strong and very safe New York.”
He added: “He’s got views that are a little out there, but who knows. I mean, we’re going to see what works. He’s going to change, also. I changed a lot. I feel very confident that he can do a very good job. I think he is going to surprise some conservative people, actually.”
