00:00Okay, it's easier. It's easier than explaining it. I don't mind. Easier than explaining it. I don't mind.
00:09New York City Mayor-elect Zoran Mondani recently made a splash at the White House,
00:15not with a policy mic drop, but with some seriously smooth people skills.
00:21In a meeting with President Donald Trump, Mondani pulled off something South Asians
00:25might call the ultimate uncle disarmament.
00:30In public, Trump and Mondani exchanged pleasantries and compliments.
00:35Behind closed doors, though, the real magic was Mondani's subtle maneuvering.
00:41He kept a polite smile, a respectful head tilt, and a calm, unshakable tone, letting Trump talk
00:48a lot, while quietly steering the conversation toward his own agenda,
00:57affordability and the priorities of New Yorkers.
01:00New York City and the need to deliver affordability to New Yorkers, the 8.5 million people who call
01:07our city their home, who are struggling to afford life in the most expensive city in the United
01:11States of America.
01:11To many South Asians watching, it was a familiar scene, the immigrant kid tactically nodding
01:18through lectures from aunties and uncles, all while keeping the steering wheel of their
01:22own plans firmly in hand.
01:24As Kadar Godgil put it,
01:26Eventually, you start leading without the other person realizing you were following just a
01:31moment ago.
01:32To an outsider, it looks choreographed.
01:35Even when Trump tried to play up their similarities, claiming Mondani had the same
01:41idea as he does, Mondani stayed unflustered, gently acknowledging the comments while pivoting
01:47back to his message.
01:49The result?
01:50Trump left smiling, the press got their photos, and Mondani quietly showed who was really in
01:56control of the conversation.
01:57You know, we had some interesting conversation, and some of his ideas really are the same ideas
02:03that I have.
02:04But a big thing on cost, you know, the new word is affordability.
02:09Another word is just groceries, you know, it's sort of an old-fashioned word, but it's very
02:14accurate.
02:15And they're coming down, they're coming down high.
02:16They were, you know, we had, both of us, we had the highest inflation in the history of
02:21our country the last four years under the Biden administration.
02:25And we've got inflation down now to a normal number, it's going to go even a little bit
02:29lower than that.
02:30Critics on the left grumbled about meeting Trump, but many praised Mondani's cool, clever,
02:35and charming approach, which disarmed a notoriously unpredictable figure, and even diffused some
02:41of the political tension around his office.
02:45South Asians watching saw the move as textbook tactical respect.
02:50Let the elder talk, nod politely, and subtly lead the way.
02:55Compared to Trump's confrontations with other world leaders, like the shouting match with
02:59Zelensky, or the ambush of Cyril Ramaphosa, Mondani's calm, playful diplomacy stood out.
03:07He didn't need to raise his voice or compromise his values.
03:10He just let his demeanor do the work.
03:13In short, Mondani showed that sometimes you don't have to yell to be heard.
03:19You just need a smile, a little patience, and the old school South Asian art of leading
03:25while seeming to follow.
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