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Republicans Want to Turn Mamdani Into a Bogeyman for the Midterms. Trump Just Made that Harder – WTOP News

Republicans say Mamdani helps them warn voters about Democratic extremism, but Trump’s praise of the New York mayor is undercutting that message.

  • On Monday, President Donald Trump visited Gracie Mansion during the United Nations General Assembly, meeting New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and praising him as being "off to a start" to becoming a great mayor.
  • This unexpected relationship, which began last year, has confounded observers given that Trump previously warned voters that democratic socialists were threatening to transform America into "a communist country."
  • Veteran Republican strategist Doug Heye highlighted the messaging conflict, saying "You're trying to say, 'Here's how extreme they are,' and the president's saying, 'I love this guy.'" The interaction threatens the party's midterm message about Democratic radicalism.
  • Mamdani defended the dialogue Monday, stating he will engage "anyone who can deliver relief to the people of this city," while Texas Sen. Ted Cruz countered by calling the mayor "Comrade Mamdani."
  • With midterms approaching, Republicans from Georgia to Michigan are working to scare voters away from Democratic candidates by emphasizing democratic socialism, though it remains unclear whether Trump's amicable tone will persist or shift back to earlier criticism.
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The Toronto StarThe Toronto Star
+19 Reposted by 19 other sources
Lean Left

Republicans want to turn Mamdani into a bogeyman for the midterms. Trump just made that harder

NEW YORK (AP) — Earlier in the month, President Donald Trump warned voters that democratic socialists — extreme, crazed, lunatics, he called them — were threatening to transform America into

·Toronto, Canada
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Winnipeg Free Press broke the news in Winnipeg, Canada on Tuesday, September 22, 2026.
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