President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani appeared cordial at a news conference following their closed-door meeting at Gracie Mansion. Trump said he hoped Mamdani would be a “great mayor” for New York.
The tone was notable given the two men’s significant political differences and Trump and his Republican allies’ previous efforts to portray Mamdani as a symbol of what they describe as the Democratic Party’s embrace of “communism” ahead of the November midterm elections.
Despite their political differences, Trump and Mamdani have also appeared cordial during previous interactions. Mamdani said they had a “wide-ranging” discussion that touched on affordable housing and immigration but did not provide extensive details about their disagreements.
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When asked whether he challenged Trump over his decision to ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House grounds, Mamdani said, “I told the president that we’re going to have all of the members of the press here on the lawn, and that is something that I believe in.”
“It’s interesting because they said they were going to boycott me, but they never boycott me, so I wasn’t very worried about that,” Trump added, referring to the large group of reporters gathered on the lawn.
Asked why he invited Trump to Gracie Mansion, Mamdani said he was willing to work with anyone who could “deliver” for New Yorkers. He highlighted their shared interest in building thousands of new housing units at Sunnyside Yard in Queens.
Trump said Mamdani had “great potential.”
Mamdani also said they discussed the Trump administration’s removal of protections for Haitian immigrants.
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“I shared my very strong opinions about how we can keep New Yorkers safe, how we can keep immigrant New Yorker 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,” Mamdani said.
“The president and I have been very frank about the many disagreements we have,” he added.
Trump also said, “I certainly hope he will be a great mayor. You have to understand — I want what’s good for New York. I want what’s good for the country … I want him to be a great mayor.”
Previously, Trump called Mamdani a “nice guy” with “bad policy.”
Mamdani has also said he can criticize the president’s ideology while working with the administration on issues such as affordability, housing and city-level reforms.