Nia-Malika Henderson, Columnist

How Long Can Mamdani Walk This Tightrope?

November 24, 2025 at 2:40 PM UTC

Nia-Malika Henderson is a politics and policy columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. A former senior political reporter for CNN and the Washington Post, she has covered politics and campaigns for almost two decades.

Odd couple.
Photographer: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

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There is a Zohran Mamdani makeover happening. Much of it is coming with the help of President Donald Trump, who has emerged as an unlikely supporter of the man he derided as a communist not too long ago. The 34-year-old Democratic Socialist and incoming New York City mayor has gone from being a GOP boogeyman to being lauded by Trump, who said Mamdani’s “going to surprise some conservative people.”

The mayor-elect clearly seemed to surprise Trump.