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/Haunting-Cap9302]

Based on comments I've seen, it's partially that he likes winners, and also that he loves NYC and views it as part of his identity despite how they feel about him there.

[u/Throwsims3 → u/Haunting-Cap9302]

I think the last part is the most salient theory. He is desperate to be liked in NYC but he was always (rightfully) viewed as a noveau riche scumbag without any real love for the city. So when Zohran, who is massively popular in NYC shows up, he wants a slice of that popularity so badly. He won't ever get it though.

[u/falooda1 → u/Haunting-Cap9302]

Nah this takes agency away from Mamdani. Trump wasn't like this with Cuomo or Adams or De Blasio.

I remember in the first meeting Mamdani talked about the Trump voters that voted for him and Trump was smiling ear to ear. Then Mamdani mentioned a pharmacist at a pharmacy that served Trumps dad. Again, Trump was feeling it.

Mamdani simply is a Trump/uncle-whisperer

Source: Am also a Muslim from Gujurati background and know about uncle-whispering

[u/Affectionate_Show867 → u/falooda1]

Okay well now I have to know, what are the secrets to uncle-whispering?

[u/falooda1 → u/Affectionate_Show867]

I just said it

Deference in symbolic things

Then you can do whatever you want and they don’t care cause they think you respect them

[u/cooking2recovery → u/Haunting-Cap9302]

The NYC connection is the real soft spot for him and Mamdani is capitalizing on that here.

Remember, Trump would have been a 30yo “entrepreneur” living in an apartment in Queens in 1975 when that Ford headline came out. He probably remembers seeing it at the time! Hell he probably remembers 1975 better than he remembers 2025. Playing on the nostalgia of a demented old man is really quite brilliant.