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U.S. President Donald Trump met New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at Gracie Mansion on Monday, discussing housing, affordability, immigration and other city issues ahead of Trump’s participation in the United Nations General Assembly.
The meeting was their third face-to-face encounter and their first in New York. Their previous meetings were held at the White House, including one in February that also focused partly on housing development.
At a joint news conference afterward, both described the meeting positively.
“Hopefully, you’re going to be a great mayor,” Trump told Mamdani.
Mamdani said their discussions focused on “how we can improve the lives of New Yorkers” and use government to address the cost-of-living crisis, expand the economy and strengthen the city.
A major focus was the proposed redevelopment of Sunnyside Yards in Queens.
Mamdani said the project could create around 12,000 homes and 30,000 jobs, while City Hall and the White House agreed to establish closer coordination between their housing and operations teams.
Trump said the project had been discussed for decades and would likely require federal approvals and funding. He said a significant portion of the development should include housing for low- and moderate-income residents.
The project would require an estimated $21 billion in federal funding.
Mamdani also said he raised his concerns about Trump’s reduction of Temporary Protected Status for thousands of immigrants, saying he had expressed his “very strong opinions about how we can keep New Yorkers safe.”
Despite acknowledging “many disagreements” with Trump, Mamdani said he would continue working with the president and others who could help deliver relief for New Yorkers.
Trump also defended his decision to bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House.
“I have an obligation not to allow fake news to be spread,” Trump said, arguing that such reporting could be harmful to the country and national security.
He said news organizations had an obligation to report accurately and that he believed he had a responsibility to restrict White House access if they failed to do so.
Trump also complained that media outlets frequently published negative coverage of him while overlooking what he described as positive developments under his administration.
Mamdani said all media organizations had been invited to the Gracie Mansion news conference regardless of their views.
“That is something that I believe in, is everyone, no matter the opinion or the critique, that we engage,” he said.
Trump also dismissed suggestions that the media restrictions were intended to distract from criticism of the Iran war, saying television networks that had discussed boycotting him continued to cover him.
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