Conservative commentator Jack Posobiec told Newsmax on Monday he was caught off guard by the warm, almost jovial exchange between President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani during their now-viral Oval Office meeting last week — an interaction many online jokingly labeled a political "bromance."
Speaking on "Finnerty," Posobiec said he and others had been briefed ahead of time that the White House intended to keep the meeting friendly.
"We were actually told beforehand that this White House's strategy was to be welcoming and for it to be cordial," Posobiec explained. "I wouldn't say I was necessarily expecting a full-on bromance."
Video from the encounter showed Trump and Mamdani — a democratic socialist and one of the most left-wing members of the Democratic Party — laughing, smiling, and chatting with reporters with ease, a contrast that set social media buzzing.
The upbeat tone surprised many conservatives who view Mamdani as a leading voice for the sort of far-left, race-based economic and housing proposals that have drawn sharp criticism from Republicans.
Posobiec told Newsmax the friendliness may have a strategic edge for Trump as Mamdani's policies come under increasing scrutiny in New York.
"Look, they're in a situation now where if and when these communist, race-based policies — which I asked Mamdani about — completely fail in New York, now they can't turn around and blame it on Trump," he said.
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