&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "From ‘communist’ to ‘great mayor’: Trump praises Mamdani after New York meeting, discusses immigration and housing")
US President Donald Trump struck a markedly warmer tone with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday(Sep 21), praising the 34-year-old mayor after their third in-person meeting and discussing immigration enforcement, public safety and a proposed $21 billion housing project in Queens.
Trump and Mamdani met privately for about an hour at Gracie Mansion, the mayor's official residence, during the president's visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.
“Hopefully, you're going to be a great (mayor). I'll be able to say you're going to be a great one, and you're off to a start,” Trump told Mamdani after the meeting.
The exchange was notable given Trump's earlier attacks on Mamdani. Before Mamdani took office in January, Trump had referred to him as “my little communist” and a “total nut job”. Their subsequent meetings, however, have been notably more cordial.
Mamdani raises concerns over immigration
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Immigration was among the issues discussed behind closed doors. Mamdani said he voiced his concerns about the Trump administration's decision to end Temporary Protected Status for some immigrant groups, including Haitians.
“I shared my very strong opinions about how we can keep New Yorkers safe, how we can keep immigrant New Yorkers 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,” he said.
Mamdani acknowledged that the two still have significant political disagreements but said he intended to continue talking with Trump and other officials who could provide assistance to New Yorkers.
“We've both spoken about very different approaches, very different beliefs, and I will continue to have conversations with the president, and frankly with anyone who can deliver relief to the people of this city,” Mamdani said.
$21 billion Queens housing proposal
The meeting also advanced discussions over Mamdani's proposal to build 12,000 homes at Sunnyside Yard in Queens.
The project involves constructing a new neighbourhood above the sprawling rail yard and would require more than $21 billion in federal support, according to Mamdani. Trump and the mayor had previously discussed the proposal during their February meeting in Washington.
Monday's talks led to an agreement to continue technical discussions over the project, although there was no federal funding commitment from Trump.
Trump said the proposal could be costly but acknowledged the potential scale of the development.
Mamdani welcomes all media
The meeting also touched on the dispute between the Trump administration and several US news organisations.
CNN, Politico and MS NOW have been barred from White House grounds, prompting those outlets and other media organisations to challenge the administration's restrictions. Mamdani said he had told Trump that all journalists would be welcome at their joint appearance outside Gracie Mansion.
“That is something that I believe in, is everyone, no matter the opinion or the critique, that we engage,” Mamdani said.
Trump dismissed suggestions that the media restrictions were intended to divert attention from criticism of his administration, saying journalists had threatened to boycott him but had continued covering him.
The meeting came just before Trump's address to the UN General Assembly and marked his first visit to Gracie Mansion since becoming president. It was also the first presidential visit to the historic residence since Ronald Reagan met then-New York Mayor Ed Koch there in 1981.
