Jimmy Kimmel selfie snub lands amid Trump-Mamdani heat
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani told Jimmy Kimmel he would not text President Trump a selfie of the pair, joking that he loves housing more than late-night favors. The snub aired as Trump's public praise of Mamdani is already undercutting Republicans' midterm plan to cast the democratic socialist mayor as their chief villain.
Key Takeaways
- On Jimmy Kimmel Live in Brooklyn, Mayor Zohran Mamdani refused Jimmy Kimmel's request to text President Trump a selfie, saying, "Jimmy, I love you, but I love housing more."
- Trump stood with Mamdani at Gracie Mansion and said the mayor has "great potential," undercutting GOP efforts to cast him as a midterm boogeyman.
- Mamdani said their talks focus on Queens' Sunnyside Yard plan for an estimated 12,000 homes and about 30,000 jobs.
- He also raised Haitian New Yorkers whose Protected Status has ended, calling for stability as part of the city's fabric.
What did Jimmy Kimmel ask Mayor Mamdani to do?
During a Brooklyn taping at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Jimmy Kimmel pressed Mamdani about an unexpectedly friendly rapport with Trump. After Mamdani confirmed they communicate "from time to time," Kimmel asked if they could text the president "a selfie of us right now."
Mamdani declined with a housing-first punchline that made clear late-night optics would not outrank his development agenda. The appearance opened Kimmel's eighth Brooklyn week of Live, which also featured Pete Davidson and a performance by TV on the Radio, after the show said it received more than 150,000 ticket requests for the run.
Why does Trump's praise of Mamdani unsettle Republicans?
According to Politico, Trump's long-running warmth toward Mamdani has scrambled Republican efforts to make the far-left mayor the boogeyman of the midterm elections. Standing beside Mamdani at Gracie Mansion, Trump said the mayor has "great potential" and that he is rooting for his success.
Those plaudits could not have come at a worse time for a GOP struggling to maintain control of Congress while candidates try to leverage Mamdani as a warning about the Democratic left. When the party's most powerful messenger praises the same figure others want voters to fear, the attack line loses force.
How does the Sunnyside Yard housing plan fit in?
On Kimmel's couch, Mamdani said that while Trump speaks he stays focused on federal approval for the Sunnyside Yard project in Queens. The plan would feature an estimated 12,000 new homes and create approximately 30,000 jobs—a scale that ties the political drama to New York's housing push and the broader luxury real estate and dream homes conversation.
Mamdani traced the working relationship to a first meeting in November of last year and stressed a shared love of New York despite many disagreements. He told Kimmel their communications also cover Haitian New Yorkers after Protected Status ended. Kimmel opened the segment with Fox News clips predicting the city would become "terrifying" under Mamdani; murders and shootings instead hit record lows in the mayor's first seven months.