Fox News host Brian Kilmeade stirred chatter Friday when he joked that Vice President JD Vance might be “jealous” of the surprisingly friendly dynamic between President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani during their Oval Office press conference.
Kilmeade, filling in on The Will Cain Show, quipped that Trump seemed to like Mamdani so much that he “wants to use him as a running-mate.”
“I think JD Vance is jealous,” Kilmeade said. “I think the president wants to use him as a running-mate. They really got along fantastic.” Because Trump is constitutionally barred from serving a third term, the remark was clearly tongue-in-cheek — but it highlighted how unexpectedly warm the meeting appeared.
Kilmeade went on to marvel at how different the atmosphere was compared to the months-long feud between the two men. “Following months of heated back-and-forth,” he said, Trump and Mamdani took “very candid questions, very direct questions” and ended the event with “a very friendly handshake.”
“The mood in the room today was pretty different than what they were talking about when they were talking about each other over the past few months,” Kilmeade observed, before airing a clip of Trump congratulating Mamdani on his victory.
Kilmeade: That's what we just watched. I think JD Vance is jealous. I think the president wants to use him as a running mate. They got along fantastic. pic.twitter.com/ejwErga8Bh
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 21, 2025
Trump and Mamdani’s prior exchanges were anything but cordial. After Mamdani won the Democratic primary in June, Trump blasted him repeatedly — calling him a “Communist Lunatic,” “my little communist mayor,” and even suggesting he might not be in the country legally. Mamdani fired back after his official November 4 win, saying in his victory speech: “Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up!”
Despite that history, Friday’s Oval Office appearance was strikingly subdued, with both men choosing to project cooperation rather than combativeness.
Former Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), now a Fox News contributor, later joined the segment and argued the moment was a national win for Trump.
“Donald Trump really, nationwide, wins on this meeting,” Chaffetz said. “Democrats have done nothing but demonize the president of the United States. Could he have been nicer? Could he have been more polite? More magnanimous in trying to help? No.”
Chaffetz’s point underscored a broader political reality: while Democrats have spent years painting Trump as an irredeemable villain, moments like this — where Trump demonstrates restraint and cordiality, even with an adversarial progressive mayor-elect — often cut against that narrative.
Kilmeade’s lighthearted jab at JD Vance also highlighted the increasingly visible bond between Trump and his vice president, who has become one of the most influential voices in the administration. Vance was reportedly in communication with foreign leaders earlier that same day, signaling his growing significance within the White House.
Still, the unexpected handshake between Trump and Mamdani became the headline — a moment of political theater that surprised both sides and, as Chaffetz noted, left Trump looking like the only adult in the room after months of partisan sniping.
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