Trump, Mamdani meet at Gracie Mansion to discuss New York housing
US President Donald Trump began his visit to New York for a speech at the United Nations on Monday with a meeting at Gracie Mansion, where he spent about an hour with Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The two later appeared together before reporters, highlighting a relationship that has remained cordial despite sharp political differences.
Standing on the lawn of the mayor's official residence in Manhattan, Trump and Mamdani said they had discussed a possible housing project in Queens and ways to make New York more affordable for working-class people. Their latest meeting came as world leaders arrived in the city for the United Nations General Assembly.
Trump used the appearance to look back on his earlier visits to Gracie Mansion, saying he remembered "great ones and some not so great ones" who had led the city. Turning to Mamdani, he said, "Hopefully you're going to be a great one," before patting him on the back and adding, "And you're off to a start."
Trump also said, "I have a lot of meetings right now, very important meetings with heads of different countries, but this is like a little bit of old home week for me," adding, "We've done so many things from the beautiful home or house or building standing right behind me."
The Republican president and the democratic socialist mayor have met at least twice before and appear to have stayed in touch, though Mamdani has not spoken much publicly about any ongoing conversations with Trump. Their first meeting came in the Oval Office shortly after Mamdani's election victory last year, in what was seen as a cordial discussion focused on helping their shared hometown after months of verbal sparring. In February, Mamdani travelled to Washington again and presented Trump with a mock New York Daily News front page that read, "Trump to City: Let's Build," as he pushed for new housing investments in the city.
As in their earlier joint appearances, both men acknowledged their policy differences. Mamdani was asked about Trump's decision to bar certain news outlets from the White House, and said it was important that those networks, along with others, be present for the Gracie Mansion event. Trump defended the restrictions, saying the organisations' coverage was biased. "It's interesting because they said they were gonna boycott me. But they never boycott me," he said, before adding, "I think that these outlets have an obligation to be fair."
Trump's earlier visits to Gracie Mansion included attending former Mayor Rudy Giuliani's wedding in 2003 and a book party for former Democratic US Representative Charles Rangel in 2007.
After Trump left, Mamdani returned to the lawn and told reporters that while he and the president had serious disagreements, their relationship had continued. "I will continue to have conversations with the president, and frankly, anyone who can deliver relief to the people of this city," he said. The meeting added another chapter to an unlikely working relationship built around housing and affordability in New York despite clear political differences.
