Mamdani's 'insultingly easy' flattery tactic heralded as 'shortcut' to manipulating Trump

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani seems well positioned to win President Donald Trump’s support for tens of billions of dollars in federal housing grants, a breakthrough observers say he achieved through what one called an “insultingly easy” use of flattery.

Mamdani had his second meeting with Trump in the Oval Office on Thursday, during which he asked the president to approve $21 billion in federal grants to support a housing project that would see the construction of 12,000 price-controlled apartment units, Politico reported.

Along with his request, Mamdani also brought a prop: a mock-up up newspaper with a headline championing Trump’s backing of developing more housing in Trump’s home city.

“Congrats to Mayor Mamdani on figuring out the (almost insultingly easy) shortcut to getting the most powerful man in the world to do whatever you want,” noted John Semley, a Pennsylvania-based freelance writer and researcher, in a social media post on X Thursday evening.

The newspaper mockup, confirmed by Politico to have been crafted by Mamdani’s office, features the headline “Trump to City: Let’s Build,” with a subheadline that states Trump “Backs New Era of Housing.”

Along with the mockup, Mamdani also brought with him a real newspaper, a copy of a 1975 New York Daily News newspaper that bore the headline “Ford to City: Drop Dead,” a reference to former President Gerald Ford’s refusal to bail New York City out of its financial crisis.

As noted by onlookers, Mamdani’s favorable comparison of Trump with past presidents, alongside his apparent attempt to play to Trump’s fondness of New York City, appeared to be the key to getting Trump’s approval.

“Pitching the real estate developer on a real estate project is honestly so obvious in retrospect and I respect the game,” wrote X user “Shin Megami Boson,” a frequent commentator on politics and culture who’s amassed a sizable following of more than 12,000.

“How has no one tried this already,” noted another, X user “Seen Keady,” a pop culture commentator with more than 2,000 followers on the platform. “I have tears in my eyes at how elegant this is as a Trump manipulation tactic.”

Even some of Mamdani’s critics were forced to admit that the tactic was effective, including A.J. Manaseer, a real estate investment funds manager with more than 8,500 followers on X.

“While I still disagree with the vast majority of Mamdani’s viewpoints, this is a genuinely impressive tactic,” Manaseer wrote in a social media post on X Friday morning.

“He has the balls to visit with Trump on Trump’s turf. He has the charm to get Trump to like him. He has the smarts to play to Trump’s incessant need for adulation. He is exceptionally good at politics. What a shame that he’s a socialist.”