Socialists and nationalists are, unfortunately, birds of a feather

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You’ve probably heard the term “horseshoe theory” thrown around in recent years. It’s the idea that on the political extremes, where dwell communists and Nazis, fascists and socialists, partisans of authoritarianism have more in common with one another than they do with advocates of personal liberty and limited government. In the abstract, it means the real divide isn’t between left and right, but between control and freedom. In practical application, it helps explain why Republican U.S. President Donald J. Trump could have such a friendly meeting with his theoretical nemesis, democratic socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

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According to Ivan Pereira of ABC News, “President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani met in the Oval Office Friday, discussing topics around affordability and safety in New York City, appearing cordial despite trading barbs for months.”

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Trump went on to call Mamdani “hopefully a really great mayor.” He added, “there’s no difference in party. There’s no difference in anything.”

For his part, Mamdani said, “It was a productive meeting focused on a place of shared admiration and love.”

It was quite a change in tone after months of the two politicians lobbing verbal missiles at one another, including “communist” and “fascist.” And if New York City’s new mayor was