President Donald Trump on Friday distanced himself from Republican attacks portraying New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani as a “jihadist,” brushing aside the smear during the pair’s first-ever meeting in the Oval Office.
The moment unfolded when a reporter asked Trump directly whether he believed he was “standing next to a jihadist right now,” a reference to repeated claims made by GOP gubernatorial candidate Rep. Elise Stefanik that Mamdani – a Democratic Socialist – is a threat to public safety.
“No, I don’t,” Trump said flatly. “But she’s out there campaigning and, you know, you say things sometimes in a campaign. She’s a very capable person, but you really have to ask her about that.”
Trump went on to add warm words for Mamdani after what reporters described as a cordial meeting.
“I think I met with a man who’s a very rational person. I met with a man who wants to see – really wants to see – New York be great again. And I say again because New York was great.”
The moment instantly created buzz in the New York gubernatorial race and on Capitol Hill, where Stefanik, one of House Republican leadership’s most die-hard MAGA loyalists, has spent months trying to cast Mamdani as an extremist. The mayor-elect is set to take office Jan. 1.
Q: Stefanik has called Mamdani a ‘jihadist.’ Do you think you’re standing next to a jihadist right now?
TRUMP: No, I don’t. I met with a man who’s a very rational person pic.twitter.com/DrdUFhwNHX
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 21, 2025
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