Trump Got What He Wanted From Meeting With Mamdani: Analyst

President Donald J. Trump appears to have walked away with precisely the leverage he wanted after sitting down with New York City’s incoming far-left mayor, Zohran Mamdani — at least according to one prominent political observer.

Patrick Bet-David, entrepreneur and founder of Valuetainment, joined Fox News’ Jesse Watters on Monday and offered a detailed breakdown of what he believes unfolded when the socialist firebrand met privately with the president.

“I thought it went great. I thought mamdani is standing next to a pro, sizing him up, thinking to himself what is wrong with this guy? He allowed me to diss him in front of everyone, he’s so comfortable with it. He’s probably sitting there saying, ‘what is he trying to get out of this?’” Bet-David said.

He suggested that behind closed doors, President Trump likely made it clear the White House was willing to cooperate — but would not tolerate gamesmanship or political theater.

“And by the way, imagine how the conversation went behind closed doors. What do you think the president told him? I don’t know, I’m just speculating. Maybe saying, listen we would love to make this work with you. If you want to get these things done we’ll help you, if you want to play games do your thing but don’t forget you’re gonna need us,” he explained.

Bet-David then drew a comparison to Democrats’ treatment of Bernie Sanders in 2016, noting how President Trump capitalized on progressive frustration after Sanders was pushed aside.

“You know, obviously, the president, knowing what he’s doing…the last time a Mamdani type of person came in and he lost, [Hillary] Clinton asked him to step out, that was Bernie Sanders, and the moment Bernie Sanders lost, Hillary came in, Trump got on TV and said, ‘Look what they did to your candidate. You like what they did to the candidate? Establishment came and took away…’” he recalled.

“‘You wanted Bernie Sanders as your candidate, you wanted this person to run as president, but Hillary said no, no, step aside, you are not good enough to run for president, it’s me, I am the person that’s gonna be president. And then those people flocked to him. It’s a very weird think that he has both sides,’” Bet-David added.

Given that context, Bet-David argued that President Trump’s unexpectedly cordial approach to Mamdani could end up winning over disaffected progressives.

“So I think the Mamdani voters, the Bernie Sanders voters, the AOC voters, are watching how [Trump’s] being gentle with Mamdani now that he’s in. And if good things end up happening, they may be looking back saying look, I hate to say this but I kind of like President Trump. I think he’s going to end up winning at the end of the day,” he said.

The meeting came as President Trump announced he was temporarily pausing plans to deploy the National Guard to New York City — part of his sweeping national anti-crime initiative. The president said other cities currently need federal assistance more urgently.

“If they need it. Right now, other places need it more, but if they need it,” Trump told MS NOW reporter Akayla Gardner before boarding Air Force One. “We had a very good meeting yesterday. We talked about that, but if they need it, I would do it.”

President Trump echoed the same sentiment during his Oval Office discussion with Mamdani, saying he would feel “very comfortable” living in the city under the incoming mayor’s leadership — a strikingly warm tone given their previous jabs.

Before Friday’s summit, Trump had branded Mamdani “my little communist” and dismissed his ideology as historically unworkable. Mamdani had called Trump a “fascist.” Yet the two men appeared unexpectedly amicable, with President Trump later calling their meeting a “great honor.”

If Bet-David’s analysis proves correct, the president may have pulled off something few expected: turning a socialist mayor-elect into a political asset, while sending a clear message that he is willing to engage — firmly but fairly — with the far-left officials running America’s biggest cities.