What Bush Understood That Trump Didn’t
This article critiques the rise of anti-Muslim rhetoric within the American right, contrasting the post-9/11 approach of the George W. Bush administration with the current political climate. It highlights the controversy surrounding NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s attendance at a 9/11 commemoration as an example of this shift.
Why it matters
It examines the evolution of political discourse and the mainstreaming of exclusionary rhetoric in American conservative politics.
The leaders of the American right have embraced the false idea that the United States is at war with Islam.
Illustration by The Atlantic* September 10, 2026, 4:48 PM ET Share Save T he current New York City mayor , Zohran Mamdani, has affronted one of his predecessors, Rudy Giuliani, by taking the inflammatory step of deciding to attend the city’s 9/11 commemoration. “It offends me,” Giuliani proclaimed earlier this week on Newsmax.
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