President Trump, Mayor Mamdani meet at Gracie Mansion
They say the core of their conversation focused on affordability, temporary protected status, the police department and the Sunnyside Yards affordable housing project in Queens.
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President Donald Trump paid a visit to Mayor Zohran Mamdani's home on Monday afternoon.
Trump, who is in the city for the United Nations General Assembly, met privately with Mamdani at Gracie Mansion. The two met for roughly an hour before they answered a handful of questions from the press on the back lawn.
Security was ramped up in the surrounding neighborhood, where sanitation trucks blocked off streets from York to East End Avenues. Carl Shurz Park was temporarily shut down, while cars and pedestrians were blocked from walking along East End beginning at 3 p.m. on Monday.
The Coast Guard and NYPD boats fully armed with rifles took guard along the East River near the 90th Street ferry dock.
Trump called Gracie Mansion one of his favorite places in the world and said he shared memories with Mamdani from his time visiting the residence during previous administrations.
"It sort of feels like a home, it's a special place, a very special place," Trump said.
They say the core of their conversation focused on affordability.
"Each time the president and I speak, it is about the same topics: how to improve the lives of New Yorkers and how to use the power of government to take on the cost-of-living crisis, to grow our economy, and to build a better, stronger New York," Mamdani said.
Also a focal point was temporary protected status for Haitian immigrants in New York, the importance of the police department and the Sunnyside Yards project in Queens. The project would create 12,000 affordable housing units as well as 30,000 jobs. It can only advance with the support of federal dollars.
While Trump did not fully commit to funding the project, Mamdani says they have elevated the conversation to include his housing team and the White House.
"Sunnyside's a big job. I've been watching that for 35 years. Everybody has wanted to do something with Sunnyside Yards...it's a very federal-oriented job...it's always been a great location," Trump said.
This was the third meeting between Trump and Mamdani in just under a year and the first in New York City. Despite their vast political differences on many issues, the two appear to be friendly and cordial.
"You have to understand, I want what's good for New York, I want what's good for the country, so if I had a choice of having him be a bad mayor or a horrible mayor, I don't want that. I want him to be a great mayor and he certainly has potential," Trump said.
