TOI Correspondent from Washington: In a remarkable plot twist that caught even seasoned political hacks slack-jawed, US PresidentDonald Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani emerged from a White House meeting on Friday afternoon like an estranged father and son who have just reunited and found they both love Broadway and baseball.Gone were the barbs of"communist lunatic" and "fascist despot" that had flown like confetti during the poll season. Instead, the two political polar opposites from New York City – one a brash billionaire with a penchant for gold-plated everything, the other a 34-year-old democratic socialist with a silver tongue, swapped compliments, pledged cooperation, traded arm pats, and even shared a chuckle over the election-time epithets they had hurled at each other.The meeting, which by Trump’s reckoning attracted more media interest than his international engagements, was billed as a potential powder keg. Trump had painted Mamdani as the harbinger of urban doom – a"jihadist communist" who would turn the Big Apple into a socialist hellhole. Mamdani had fired back, branding Trump a"betrayer of the working class" in his victory speech and vowing to shield New Yorkers from federal overreach on immigration and climate policy. Pundits predicted everything from a shouting match to a funding freeze.Instead, Trump, beaming like a proud dad presenting his winning child at a spelling bee, declared,"I can tell you that some of my views have changed. He's a very rational person who wants New York to be great again." Mamdani, nodded graciously and quipped,"We agreed on a lot more than I thought,” suggesting that even a socialist and a capitalist can bond over economic issues. There were several moments when Trump rescued Mamdani from news hounds eager to back both into a corner and tear out the next headline. When a reporter reminded Mamdani that he had called the President a fascist and whether he stood by the description, Trump butted in even as the Mayor-elect was framing his response, joking, “That’s OK. You can just say it. That’s easier. It’s easier than explaining it. I don’t mind.”When another reporter grilled Mamdani on skipping the eco-friendly Amtrak for a flight to D.C. (a subtle dig at his green credentials), Trump swooped in like a protective dad."If he flew, that’s a lot quicker… he’s working very hard. I’ll stick up for you. You know the plane takes you 30 minutes and driving takes you longer,” he said, repeatedly patting “Arm” dani arm paternally. On his part, Mamdani was the epitome of civility and poise, although he deferentially stood next to the President seated behind the Resolute Desk. Soaking up the unexpected compliments without being overawed or lightheaded, he projected a mix of resolve and respect while standing his ground on issues and repeatedly putting the affordability crisis in NYC front and center, forcing the President to acknowledge the problem. “Working people have been left behind in New York. In the wealthiest city in the world, one in five can't afford $2.90 for the train or bus. As I told Trump today— it’s time to put those people right back at the heart of our politics," he said in a post after the meeting.But such was their bonding that some reports compared it to a rom-com and a “buddy movie.” The New York Times, media sentinel of their home town, called it “an astonishingly affectionate performance that sent heads spinning.” The headline for one of its stories read: ‘Fascist’? ‘Communist’? For an Afternoon, They Were Just 2 Guys From Queens.”