Whaa? Five theories to explain the Donald-Zohran meet-cute | Dave Schilling

ZOhran and Donald. Donald and Zohran. Since Turner met Hooch, no couple has so captivated the American psyche. This might be the date cute of the decade, unless you count RFK Jr and Olivia Nuzzi. Which actually wasn’t cute at all, when I think about it.

Why can’t we all stop talking about New York City’s mayor-elect and his #1 fan in the White House? Probably because absolutely none of this makes sense. From the start of his rise, Zohran Mamdani positioned himself as an anti-Trump democratic socialist who would use the bully pulpit of Gracie Mansion to combat Maga’s attacks on the city. Trump, sensing an opportunity to create another punching bag, called Mamdani a communist and questioned his American citizenship. He even bothered to support Mamdani’s opponent, Andrew Cuomo, in the mayoral election.

Something has changed. It’s hard to say where and when, but clearly, after their meeting, Donald Trump began to see Zohran in a different way. Why do two politicians who seemingly have nothing in common suddenly seem so friendly in the Oval Office?

I have a few theories, some more speculative than others:

1 New York City is the center of economic attention

New York is a place where tabloids shout headlines at people every day, where crooks can become legitimate celebrities simply because they’ve been somewhat successful in crime, and where real estate developers with a taste for attention can become president of the United States. I doubt I’ll say anything that will shock or alarm you here, but this needs to be articulated: This reunion was an epic photoshoot for a few brothers perhaps looking to increase their follower count. Donald Trump can smell a camera 60 meters away, like some kind of bloodhound trained to hunt paparazzi. He’s been taking pictures of himself with successful people for years. It’s just one of the things he’s good at, and he learned that skill in New York. Zohran is also a New Yorker and understands the attention economy. He had to come from below 5% to win the entire election. Trump may live in Washington DC and Florida, but he will never stop being a New Yorker at heart. The game recognizes the game.

2 Donald Trump loves a winner

Then again, don’t we all? My son didn’t start rooting for the Dodgers until they won the World Series last year. Nothing is more fickle than a young child who is desperate to avoid even the slightest hint of failure. And no one is more bummed about losing than our Big Boy in Chief. The idea of ​​losing is so repugnant to him that he regularly denies it. Zohran won with a clear majority and has support from many demographic groups. It was a clear and decisive victory. Trump might as well find a way to rub off some of Zohran’s magic on him.

3 Zohran is a millennial, and therefore completely non-threatening

Much of Donald Trump’s political career has been defined by petty grievances and rivalries within baseball. Getting fired up at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner could have put him on the path to the presidency. People like Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer, and Hillary Clinton are all in the same age range, travel in similar social circles, and likely met Donald Trump several times before he became president. Jealousy, frustration, or just plain old competitiveness might make all the bullying and political games more fun for him, or at least more rewarding. Zohran is 10 years younger than Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, and has probably never played golf with anyone he went to college with.

4 Maybe They’re Both Really Optimistic About The Knicks This Season

If Karl-Anthony Towns can get his shooting form back and Landry Shamet stays hot, New York has a good chance of making it out of the East.

5 Is Donald Trump a big fan of Zohran’s mother Mira Nair’s films?

We don’t know what types of movies Donald Trump has watched in the past. Maybe he was really connected to the culture shock romance of Mississippi Masala? Maybe Monsoon Wedding was a VHS that he had worn out from watching it over and over again? I can definitely see it connecting with Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love from 1996. Splendid performance by Indira Varma.

I guess though, we’ll never know why Donald Trump said Zohran Mamdani could call him a fascist. Maybe he was just happy to have a distraction.