Maga world heads left spinning by Trump’s warm welcome for Mamdani | Donald Trump

An avalanche of social media posts from Maga influencers laid bare the disorientation felt by members of Trump’s base during the spectacle of Friday’s cordial meeting in the Oval Office with Mamdani, whom the president had previously described as a “crazy communist.”

“It’s crazy to allow a jihadist communist to stand behind the president’s desk in the Oval Office. It’s sad to see,” wrote far-right activist Laura Loomer, one of Trump’s staunchest online supporters.

She returned to the theme several times. “I had to drink a bottle of ginger ale today after seeing Mamdani in the Oval Office because it makes me physically nauseous to see Islamic jihadists infiltrating our government and continuing to get a free pass to promote Islamic jihad and anti-American values ​​without any resistance,” Loomer wrote.

At Friday’s press conference, Trump backed away from his previous all-out opposition, predicting that Mamdani “can do a very good job” as mayor, although he had previously threatened to withdraw funds from New York to elect him.

Loomer used this to predict that Republicans would suffer catastrophic defeats in next year’s congressional elections and the 2028 presidential election.

“After today, Democrats will experience a landslide victory in the midterms. Mamdani is the face of the Democratic Party,” she wrote. “How will the Republican Party campaign before 2026 if Mamdani and his policies are now considered rational and good for New York?

Elise Stefanik, a congresswoman who is running for governor of New York state next year, had a similar reaction.

“We all want New York to succeed,” she wrote. “But we’ll have to agree to disagree on this. If he acts like a jihadist. If he talks like a jihadist. If he campaigns like a jihadist. If he supports jihadists, he’s a jihadist.”

Inna Vernikov, a Republican New York City councilwoman, wrote that she was “disappointed” that Trump had “legitimized” Mamdani.

“We should never HIDE a Marxist with views aligned with jihadists,” she posted. “Have we forgotten that @ZohranKMamdani wants to stop [sic] the means of production, disproportionately tax white neighborhoods and eliminate the anti-terrorism unit? Have we forgotten that he refused to condemn “the globalization of the Intifada”, refused to condemn Hamas?

Benny Johnson, a pro-Trump influencer, appeared to implicitly condemn the president’s approach by highlighting a tough question posed by fellow activist Jack Posobiec, who asked Mamdani if ​​he planned “race-based property taxes” for white people.

“This is how it happens @JackPosobiec,” he wrote.

But not all Trump supporters were despondent.

Steve Bannon, the former White House strategist who praised Mamdani’s skills and described him as a political threat, suggested Trump was using political subtlety.

“He’s going to strengthen Mr. Mamdani, whose policies are going to destroy the city,” Bannon said in a discussion with Posobiec on his War Room podcast. “Trump will let him collapse because he’s a Marxist jihadist.”

Some Mamdani supporters seemed as confused as Trump supporters by this display of harmony.

Jumaane Williams, a New York public defender and Democrat, called the meeting “pretty shocking.”

“I think everything would have been fine, just knowing who our mayor is. But I don’t think anyone would have expected that,” he told Spectrum News NY1.

“I think the proof is in the pudding. But we may have avoided what was planned.” [an] inevitable in just a few weeks. So, the more we can avoid events that are harmful to our city, the better.

Bill de Blasio, a former Democratic mayor of New York who supported Mamdani’s candidacy, said the meeting reflected his own meetings with Trump at the White House.

“I think Trump actually has a lot of respect for Mamdani. As they say, the game respects the game,” he told CNN. “I had the exact same experience. I went to meet with Trump 10 days after the 2016 election. What I learned is that if you engage Trump and show him that you’re not afraid, he’s actually willing to give and take.”