‘JD Vance Is Jealous’: Fox News Anchor On Trump–Mamdani’s Unusually Warm Camaraderie

Last Updated:November 23, 2025, 07:19 IST

Brian Kilmeade said Donald Trump and Zohran Mamdani’s White House meeting was unexpectedly cordial, marking a shift from past hostility as Trump praised Mamdani’s leadership.

Brian Kilmeade said Donald Trump and Zohran Mamdani’s White House meeting was unexpectedly cordial, marking a shift from past hostility as Trump praised Mamdani’s leadership. (X photograph)

Fox News host Brian Kilmeade on Friday claimed that US President Donald Trump’s meeting with New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani “went far better than expected," joking that the two got along so well “J.D. Vance is jealous."

“I think J.D. Vance is jealous," Kilmeade said on air. “I think the president wants to use him [Mamdani] as a running mate. They really got along fantastic."

Kilmeade said Trump was “complimentary" throughout their White House meeting and noted that the pair even exchanged “a friendly handshake."

The cordial interaction marked a sharp departure from months of hostility. Trump had repeatedly attacked Mamdani during the campaign, warning that his election would jeopardise federal support for New York City.
In an August post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “He is going to have problems with Washington like no Mayor in the history of our once great city… He won’t be getting any [money] from me, so what’s the point of voting for him?"

But after their face-to-face in the Oval Office, Trump struck an entirely different tone. He told reporters he believed the incoming mayor “can do a very good job," adding, “I think you’re going to have, hopefully, a really great mayor. The better he does, the happier I am."

“There’s no difference in party, there’s no difference in anything," Trump said. “We’re going to be helping him to make everybody’s dream come true — having a strong and very safe New York."

Asked whether he would consider living in New York under Mamdani’s leadership, Trump replied, “Yeah, I would. I really would. Especially after the meeting."

Kilmeade said the contrast with their earlier rhetoric was striking, calling Friday’s interaction “pretty different" from months of public sparring.
“This was a love fest. This was a respect fest," he said.

Mamdani, who will become the first Muslim and first South Asian mayor of New York, has pledged to prioritise affordability issues — from housing and groceries to childcare and public transit — in a city where residents pay nearly double the national average in rent.

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