Nobody really expected sparks to fly at the White House on Friday, but that’s pretty much what happened. Donald Trump — who once mocked Zohran Mamdani with the kind of insults he usually saves for political enemies — suddenly appeared unusually warm toward the New York City mayor-elect.
And that one unexpected shift sent X (yep, Twitter… but not really Twitter anymore) into an absolute meltdown of memes, reactions, and “what on earth did we just watch?” commentary.
The two met in the Oval Office for what was supposed to be a straightforward policy conversation: housing, affordability, crime, all the practical stuff you’d expect. But the tone? Completely different. Trump smiled more than usual. Mamdani looked surprisingly at ease. And the room had that odd, slightly humorous energy you get when two people who were publicly feuding suddenly act like they’ve been neighbours for years.
From Insults to… admiration? Something definitely shifted.
It’s hard to overstate how strange this moment felt in context. Trump had previously called Mamdani a “communist lunatic,” and Mamdani hadn’t exactly held back either, referring to Trump as a “despot” and hammering him on everything from immigration to Gaza policy.
So when cameras caught Trump leaning in with a grin — and, honestly, almost studying Mamdani like he’d discovered a new favourite character — people were floored.
A Fox News host even joked that JD Vance looked “jealous” watching the two. That alone tells you the mood of the day.
X reacts: chaos, comedy, and a little confusion
The internet really needed no warm-up. The memes arrived instantly.
-
“Find someone who looks at you like Trump looks at Mamdani.”
-
“Enemies to lovers: political edition.”
-
“This plot twist wasn’t in the 2025 script.”
One viral post showed a zoomed-in freeze frame of Trump’s expression with the caption: Smitten… absolutely smitten.
And honestly? Hard to argue. It was one of the softest Trump facial expressions we’ve seen in years.
But when you strip away the humour — there was something serious happening too
Sources inside the room say the two men actually found more common ground than either expected. Trump openly said some of Mamdani’s ideas “aren’t that far” from his own. Mamdani, for his part, kept things grounded, stressing affordability, safety, and cooperation wherever it helps New Yorkers.
Even while standing next to Trump, Mamdani didn’t soften his views on Gaza. He repeated — very directly — that what’s happening there is “genocide,” a moment that set off its own wave of reactions.
It wasn’t a quiet meeting, but it was unusually… civil. Respectful, even.
What this moment might actually mean
For Trump:
-
It could be strategic — softening his stance toward New York at a time when he needs policy wins.
-
Or maybe he just genuinely liked Mamdani’s presence and confidence. Stranger things have happened in politics.
For Mamdani:
-
He showed the ability to sit with an opponent, stand firm on principles, and still leave with federal cooperation on the table.
-
That’s a balancing act not every New York mayor pulls off.
For everyone watching:
-
It signals a possible thawing between two wildly different political worlds… or it could simply be one of those odd, temporary truces Trump becomes famous for.
The big unknown
Is this the beginning of a working partnership, or a one-day anomaly that people will reference with disbelief for years?
No one knows yet. But after seeing Trump look at Mamdani like he found an unlikely new favorite, people are definitely paying attention.
And X? It’s still having the time of its life.
