Zohran Mamdani walked into the Oval Office this week and left many Americans scratching their heads — cordial smiles, handshakes, and a mutual pledge to talk about affordability after months of ferocious, left-wing attacks. The spectacle of a self-described democratic socialist sharing a warm public moment with President Trump struck voters as odd, not conciliatory; politics isn’t theater when real families are worried about crime and costs.
On Meet the Press with Kristen Welker, Mamdani was asked point-blank whether he still believes President Trump is a “fascist” — a word he used on the campaign trail — and he doubled down, saying he’d said it before and he still does. That exchange, capped by the president’s quip that Mamdani could “just say yes,” is proof positive that political theater and real convictions can coexist in the same photo op.
Conservatives have every right to call out the hypocrisy. Mamdani’s past social media and public statements calling to “defund the NYPD” and to dismantle the department are well documented, and many New Yorkers remember the consequences of anti-police rhetoric when crime climbs and neighborhoods suffer. Voters shouldn’t be expected to accept warm smiles in the Oval Office as a substitute for accountability on public safety.
To his credit, Mamdani told Welker he trusts the NYPD to deliver public safety and insisted he went to the White House to pursue solutions on affordability, not to make a point. But actions matter far more than words; when a candidate who once called policing “a major threat to public safety” rebrands overnight, the public is right to ask which version of him will govern.
Make no mistake: this isn’t just about ego. It’s about the safety of hard-working families, small business owners, and everyday commuters who expect leaders to be consistent and honest about protecting them. Mamdani’s flip-flop approach — radical chants in one breath, conciliatory meetings in the next — reads as political convenience, not a sincere rethink grounded in the experiences of New Yorkers.
Kristen Welker did her job by pressing him; Mamdani’s answer tried to thread a needle that many in his own city won’t buy. Conservatives should keep pressing that needle until policy choices are clear and irreversible: will New York get the leadership that supports law enforcement and public safety, or a leader whose past rhetoric invites chaos?
Patriots who care about safe streets and common-sense governance need to demand straight answers, not photo ops. If Mamdani truly believes in working with all stripes to cut costs and protect New Yorkers, then he should prove it with concrete, pro-police policies and not empty rhetoric that changes with the wind.
