Mamdani Meets Trump for 2nd Time in White House, Proposes New Housing Plan

WASHINGTON—New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Feb. 26 that he had a “productive meeting” with President Donald Trump at the White House. It was their second meeting since Mamdani’s election last November.

“I had a productive meeting with President Trump this afternoon. I’m looking forward to building more housing in New York City,” Mamdani said on X, confirming the meeting.

​​Mamdani spokesman Joe Calvello told reporters that the mayor pitched the president a project to build an estimated 12,000 housing units in the city.

“The president was very enthusiastic about this idea,” Calvello said, adding that it would be “one of the biggest federal investments in housing of the past 50 years.”

Mamdani posted a photo with Trump, showing the president holding two Daily News front pages—a mock one stating “Trump to City: Let’s Build” and a copy of a 1975 print that said “Ford to City: Drop Dead.” The latter refers to President Gerald Ford, a Republican who served from 1974 to 1977 after Richard Nixon’s resignation and refused to provide a federal bailout for New York City.

Calvello explained that Mamdani’s team prepared mock up front pages of the newspaper and presented them to the president in the Oval Office.

Following the meeting, Mamdani also posted another message on X, saying that the president promised to release a Columbia University student detained by federal agents.

“Just got off the phone with President Trump. In our meeting earlier, I shared my concerns about Columbia student Elmina Aghayeva, who was detained by ICE this morning. He has just informed me that she will be released imminently,” he wrote.

Mamdani also handed a list of four additional students who’ve been detained in New York to Trump and his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, “asking them to consider dismissing their cases,” his spokesperson said.

Mamdani, who ran as a democratic socialist, first visited the White House on Nov. 21 as a mayor-elect.

He and the president had a warm and cordial meeting then, focusing on cooperation for New York City despite their ideological differences.

Trump even said he would feel comfortable living in New York City during the Mamdani administration, “especially after the meeting.”

Mamdani and Trump, both with Queens connections, had publicly criticized each other for months following Mamdani’s victory over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for the Democratic nomination.

“We’re going to see what works, or he’s going to change also. We all change. I changed a lot—changed a lot from when I first came to office,” the president told reporters, striking a softer tone during the November meeting.

​​Both agreed on the need to address major challenges facing New York City, including crime, housing, and the cost of living.

The White House has not released details of the second meeting or issued a statement.

After taking office in January, Mamdani announced plans to accelerate the construction of affordable housing projects in the city.

Mamdani’s victory on Nov. 4 to lead the city of more than 8 million people represented one of the most significant victories for the political left flank of the Democratic Party in recent history.

Mamdani, 34, aligned himself with progressive figures such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), both of whom endorsed his candidacy.