A recent meeting at the White House between New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and President Donald Trump sparked immediate controversy, particularly from right-wing commentator Laura Loomer.

Loomer took to X (formerly Twitter) to express her dismay, stating, “Wild to allow a jihadist communist to stand behind the President’s desk in the Oval Office. Sad to see.”

The sight of the socialist mayor-elect alongside the staunchly MAGA-aligned President in the Oval Office's joint press conference caught many observers, across both political spectrums, off guard. Social media quickly branded the encounter as a clash of ideologies: the “communist” meeting the “fascist.”

Loomer's History of Attacks on Mamdani

Loomer's criticism of Mamdani is not new. Earlier in the week, she had attacked him for a seemingly innocuous selfie taken on a plane. “Why not just take the train? Also, is that First class? Such a man of the people…” she quipped, echoing a common MAGA critique that Mamdani, despite advocating for working-class transport, used air travel for his trip from NYC to Washington to meet Trump.

The conservative firebrand has consistently portrayed Mamdani as disconnected from “real Americans,” arguing that his proposed policies—such as free public buses, higher taxes on the wealthy, and rent freezes—would inevitably “doom” New York City.

Escalating Rhetoric and Controversial Claims

Just last week, Loomer had gone further, suggesting Mamdani should be “denaturalized.” She controversially claimed, “Only in America can an Islamic immigrant from Africa openly support terrorism, maintain their citizenship and become Mayor of America’s most iconic city.” She even mentioned Polymarket bets concerning Mamdani's potential deportation. Her rhetoric escalated in May, with xenophobic and Islamophobic remarks like “Get ready for another 9/11,” as she labeled him a “pro-HAMAS Muslim socialist.”

Mamdani's Campaign and Unexpected Alliance

Mamdani, who secured his mayoral victory against independent candidate and former governor Andrew Cuomo in November, centered his campaign on critical urban issues: affordable housing, improved public transport, and various working-class concerns.

However, the most surprising turn came from President Trump himself. Despite Loomer's fervent attacks and his own past jabs at Mamdani (having previously called him a “communist lunatic”), the White House meeting concluded on remarkably cordial terms. Trump not only agreed with Mamdani on several points but also publicly defended him to reporters, asserting that Mamdani “is not a jihadist” and describing him as “a great person doing the best for NYC.”

Trump's Shift Stuns MAGA Base

This dramatic shift in Trump's stance bewildered many within his MAGA base. It drew parallels to his recent policy reversal on H1-B visas, leading some Republicans to voice concerns that the President was once again straying from his core “America First” principles.