President Trump praised New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani after the two men had a high-stakes huddle at Gracie Mansion on Monday, continuing the streak of love fests for the political odd couple.
The roughly hour-and-a-half meeting focused on immigration and a Queens housing project for which Mamdani is seeking federal support. The president also shared his “many memories” of Gracie Mansion with Hizzoner.
Trump praised the mayor’s home as a “special place,” noting the various mayors he had met there over the years, going back to his days as a New York real estate tycoon.
“I’ve seen it with numerous different mayors, and I said some great ones and some not so great ones. So hopefully you’re going to be a great one. I’ll be able to say you’re going to be a great one, and you’re off to a start,” Trump said at a press conference after their meeting.
It was the first presidential visit to the mayor’s official residence since Ronald Reagan visited Ed Koch in 1981 to tout federal investments in a local roadway project.
Mamdani spoke fondly of the Republican commander-in-chief, who has made railing against the dangers of socialists his major midterm strategy.
“We appreciate the president’s commitment to the city,” Mamdani said. “And today, you know, the president shared many of his memories of having been to Gracie Mansion before, having been out here, as well on the lawn. And we appreciated the conversation of how we can work together to deliver a lower cost of living for New Yorkers.”
Amid the Trump administration’s removal of deportation protections for some 350,000 Haitian migrants, the mayor said he shared his “very strong opinions about how we can keep New Yorkers safe … and how important immigrant New Yorkers, especially Haitian New Yorkers, are not only to the fabric of our city but also to our city’s economy.”
“And I appreciate the conversation that we had and the consideration to that end,” Mamdani added.
After Trump departed Gracie Mansion, Mamdani told reporters he “made very clear” that securing legal status for Haitian migrants “is a priority for me, a priority for our city.”
An agreement to elevate the conversation about a possible federal partnership for Sunnyside Yard – which Mamdani likened to constructing “an entirely new neighborhood” in the Big Apple – was also reached, according to the mayor.
“It’s a real pleasure that just today we’ve agreed to set up a new level of that conversation between our housing and operations team at City Hall and the White House team, because what we’re speaking about is 12,000 homes, 30,000 jobs,” he said.
The populist president, who is in town for the annual UN General Assembly, was greeted off-camera by the socialist mayor before a private discussion.
Mamdani and Trump were joined by their respective chiefs of staff, Elle Bisgaard-Church and Susie Wiles, at the meeting, according to the mayor.
“While in New York City, I’m on the way to one of my favorite places in the World, Gracie Mansion,” Trump wrote on Truth Social as his motorcade zoomed through Manhattan to the Upper East Side.
“I spent lots of hours there over the years, with some great Mayors, some average Mayors, and some bad Mayors. It will be interesting to see how it looks now, invited by Mayor Mamdani. Look forward to it. MAKE NEW YORK CITY GREAT AGAIN!”
The leaders struck up an unlikely friendship at their first meeting last November at the White House — despite trashing each other previously as a “fascist” and a “communist.” They met again privately in the Oval Office in February and have kept in contact, swapping text messages and calls.
Mamdani, a former state lawmaker from Queens, has sought to forge common ground with Trump, who was born in the borough — leaning into Trump’s construction background and asking for $21 billion to build affordable housing in Sunnyside Yard.
The mayor appeared to soften his anti-Israel stance in the run-up to the meeting — though he and Trump remain at odds over whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu committed war crimes in Gaza.
Mamdani insisted last week that “I have never encouraged” residents to protest Netanyahu, a close Trump ally, when he arrives to address the UN — seeming to back off his July remarks that “one of the bedrocks of our city is protest” when asked about it.
Mamdani said over the summer that he lacks the power to have the NYPD arrest Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in Gaza — after running last year promising to lock up the Jewish state’s leader.
Trump, meanwhile, has been candid in his criticisms of Mamdani — noting he wants the mayor to do more to fight crime and deport violent illegal immigrants. He has condemned high taxes in his city of birth — as Mamdani implements a new levy on second homes.
“The city is looking not good. You got to clean up Manhattan, clean it up, make it sparkle, number one, and you got to lower taxes, or everyone’s leaving,” Trump bluntly told The Post in April as he appraised Mamdani’s first 100 days in office.
