GOP Concerns Over Trump’s High-Profile Meetings with China, New York City, and Tech Leaders

President Donald Trump recently hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House, met New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani at Gracie Mansion, and held a luncheon with leading artificial-intelligence executives before an impromptu news conference on the White House lawn. GOP strategists argue that these appearances risk alienating the party’s base as Republicans intensify turnout efforts ahead of the 2024 midterms.

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• NBC News exit polling shows 9 % of 2024 Trump voters in New York City who participated in last year’s mayoral election backed Mamdani.

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• Approval among Trump’s core supporters remains high: an NBC News Decision Desk poll recorded 93 % MAGA approval, and an Economist/YouGov poll reported 91 % MAGA approval, 79 % among Republicans, and 75 % among voters who supported him two years ago.

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Republican strategists and pollsters note persistent distrust of the foreign and tech figures.

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• “Trump voters absolutely don’t like Mamdani or Xi and they don’t like it when Big Tech censors us or the way they bias their news against Trump,” — John McLaughlin, pollster and adviser

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• “As for Big Tech, some leaders they like, for example Elon [Musk]. Others like [Mark] Zuckerberg, who censored us in 2020 and helped [former President] Biden with drop boxes and mail-in ballots, they still don’t trust. However, the base remains rock solid in their support of President Trump and his goals,” — John McLaughlin, pollster and adviser

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• “The base sees this as Trump putting his personality to use to try and win people over, and get them to come to his viewpoint,” — Brendan Steinhauser, a Republican strategist

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• “The base knows and dislikes those Big Tech companies and leaders. That can be tied more directly to policies they don’t like,” — Brendan Steinhauser, a Republican strategist

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