Mayor Mamdani Meets with President Trump
On Thursday, New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani made an unexpected trip to Washington, D.C., for a meeting with President Donald Trump. This rendezvous stirred some interest, especially regarding housing in New York City.
After the meeting, Mamdani noted on social media, “I had a fruitful meeting with President Trump this afternoon,” alongside a photo of the two. He seemed optimistic about future housing developments, stating, “We look forward to building more homes in New York City.”
Interestingly, this wasn’t their first encounter; the two had previously met in November, soon after Trump’s election.
During the meeting, Trump was photographed with two notable printouts from the New York Daily News—one featured a mock front page reading, “From Trump to Cities: Let’s Build,” emphasizing a commitment to housing, while another displayed a significant historical cover from 1975 with a rather grim message from former President Gerald Ford about the city’s financial troubles.
City Hall spokeswoman Anna Barr mentioned that Mamdani handed one of those printouts to Trump. There was also some discussion about a proposal for 12,000 housing units, which Mamdani mentioned was connected to the current discussions.
Apart from housing, Mamdani shared that he and Trump reached an agreement regarding the release of Columbia University student Ermina Agayeva, who had reportedly been detained by ICE earlier that day. Mamdani communicated that Trump informed him of her impending release, indicating a positive outcome from their discussions.
Columbia University expressed relief over Agayeva’s situation, stating they were “excited” about her release. News of Mamdani’s visit and the outcomes of the meeting were initially reported by various outlets, highlighting that both he and Trump had some prior engagements that kept them from public appearances during the meeting.
In a recent State of the Union address, Trump referred to Mamdani, presumably to underscore their interactions, saying, “I talk to him a lot. He has bad policies, but he’s a nice guy.” His remarks also touched on the city’s hiring practices, criticizing the temporary roles for snow shoveling volunteers and their identification requirements compared to voting registration requirements in New York.
