Fox News host Lawrence Jones reportedly came to President Trump’s defense Tuesday over his Gracie Mansion sit-down with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, arguing the two men are capable of finding “common ground” even as they publicly clash on policy.
Trump and Mamdani met Monday after the president arrived in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, a meeting that drew sharp backlash from some within the MAGA movement.
Breaking down the meeting on “Fox & Friends” Tuesday, Jones offered his take on why Trump, who told reporters afterward that Mamdani has the “potential” to be a “great mayor,” would engage with the democratic socialist leader.
“So, two things about the president: He cares about his city. Born and raised here. And so he’s never going to truly abandon his city,” Jones said. “Number two, he likes to get things done. He’ll work with anyone. Zohran Mamdani has been smart about it. Even though they spar publicly, he calls the president when he has an issue. They’re able to reach some common ground on some things. Not gonna get everything that you want.”
Jones went further, suggesting the dynamic between Trump and Mamdani could serve as a broader example of how politics used to function before becoming so contentious.
“Honestly, if you talk with people in Washington, this is the way things used to be,” he said. “It didn’t use to be so hostile when it came to getting things done for the American people. So, I hope it’s a lesson to people. The president bashes him back and forth. Mamdani bashes him. But when it’s time to put New York first, they talk.”
The meeting drew fierce criticism from prominent MAGA figures, including conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, who said she was furious that Trump would sit down with New York’s first Muslim mayor.
“I’m pissed off,” Loomer wrote on X. “We work so hard to combat the radical left and the anti-American Islamic jihadists who work to destroy our country everyday. And for what? So they can be rewarded? There is never going to be any accountability. I realized that today. We will never see it.”
New York conservative radio host Sid Rosenberg also weighed in ahead of the meeting Monday, publicly urging Trump to reconsider sitting down with Mamdani given the timing on Yom Kippur. In a post on X ahead of Trump’s arrival in the city for the UN summit, Rosenberg criticized the decision to meet with the mayor, using harsh language to describe him and arguing he did not deserve the president’s respect.
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