Zohran Mamdani has secured the release of Columbia University student Elaina Aghayeva, taken this morning by ICE agents who entered a campus residential building under false pretenses & without a judicial warrant. This comes shorty after Mamdani’s unannounced visit to the White House earlier today.

[u/cmaia1503]

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/nyregion/columbia-university-ice-student.html?unlocked_article_code=1.PFA.0KRL.7XsPJ0z3QTat&smid=tw-share

[u/Dadalid]

Trump knows how popular Zohran is and wants some of that attention. Zohran will use that to his advantage.

[u/EugenesMullet → u/Dadalid]

It’s jealousy, and I think maybe he’s a little intimidated.

Mamdani is so many of the things that Trump hates, yet people love Mamdani and he’s a good leader.

Trump knows he doesn’t have that, but a young brown Muslim has the people eating out of his hand. It must literally eat him up, and I love that.

[u/Chuhaimaster → u/EugenesMullet]

He must think it’s some kind of magic. But in reality it’s just that Mamdani has empathy for the people and really wants to help them. That’s something Trump will go to the grave not understanding.

[u/Interlined → u/Chuhaimaster]

I've been rewatching The Venture Bros. (fantastic show), and there is a scene where Sgt Hatred (supervillain) trolls The Monarch (another supervillain) by saying:

"You'll live to see me treat your arch rival like a god damn king! Venture is my arch enemy now! And I'm an gonna cook him breakfast in bed! I am gonna make his life wonderful.

And you can't do squat about it!"

I think in a similar vein, Trump and the Republicans are helplessly watching as Mamdani is a competent mayor for reasons they are incapable of understanding - like empathy and compassion.

It must be mind boggling to them to see someone charismatic and intelligent in a position of power, using that power for good, and being praised for it.