NEW YORK — President Donald Trump visited Gracie Mansion on Monday for a closed-door meeting with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, followed by a joint appearance that underscored an unexpectedly warm tone between the two men.
The meeting at the mayor’s official residence came as Trump was in New York for the U.N. General Assembly. It was the first time a sitting president had visited Gracie Mansion since 1981, when President Ronald Reagan met with then-Mayor Ed Koch.
After about 90 minutes behind closed doors, Trump praised Mamdani, saying he hoped the mayor would become “a great mayor.” Mamdani said the two discussed how to work together to lower the cost of living for New Yorkers, including housing and other issues affecting the city.
According to Mamdani, the meeting focused in part on immigration policy, including the Trump administration’s move to end deportation protections for 350,000 Haitians. He said he made a strong case for the importance of Haitian New Yorkers to the city’s economy and civic life.
The two also discussed Mamdani’s Sunnyside Yard housing plan in Queens, which calls for 12,000 homes and 30,000 jobs on railroad land. The city is seeking $21 billion in federal support for the project, and Mamdani said the city’s housing team and the White House team agreed to begin a new level of dialogue.
