Dave Weigel

I remember when I was in New York early in the year checking in on the Mamdani race, because I met him when he was running for his assembly seat and then covered DSA, et cetera.

One thing I was asking his campaign is like, hey, not that long ago, there was the ground zero mosque in New York.

And there was a huge backlash that Republicans used around the country, the idea of building a Muslim center near the old World Trade Center site.

And the campaign was –

they were aware of it.

And then I would talk to voters.

They weren't aware of it, but I hadn't appreciated how much the country had moved on.

With some nudging from people like George W. Bush and Republicans who are not blood and soil nativists saying, actually, America, it's pretty good that America is able to integrate different kinds of people and different religions and live together peacefully.

There are conservatives who, one thing I've heard is most Muslims who live in America right now came after 9-11, and that is bad.

I've heard that from national conservatives before.

When there is a...

case of terrorism or something.

Yes, Trump is very good, better than any Republican at turning that into a nativist issue.

He did this in 2015.

It's it's crazy if you go back now and look at if you were there, Republicans like Marco Rubio, who are very uncomfortable with the Muslim ban and things he was saying.

If we're back in that place where there's a mayor of New York trying to abide by the laws of New York who is a Muslim immigrant getting racist attacks for things that are legal and people support, I think it will backfire.

How would he play, for example, Texas moving migrants from the border to New York, which backfired?

I don't know.

But this is a thing.

When Donald Trump is president and changes the policy environment, that's not as much of an issue.