President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani met at the White House Thursday.
“I had a productive meeting with President Trump this afternoon,” Mamdani wrote in a post on X. “I’m looking forward to building more housing in New York City.”
In a photo accompanying the post, Trump held up two New York Daily News editions.
One was a 1975 issue of the paper featuring then-President Gerald Ford, with the headline “Ford to City: Drop Dead.” The other was a recreated copy of that issue with the headline “Trump to City: Let’s Build,” NBC News reported.
I had a productive meeting with President Trump this afternoon.
I’m looking forward to building more housing in New York City. pic.twitter.com/XnPbt0KXYU
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) February 26, 2026
In a second post, Mamdani wrote, “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.”
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. https://t.co/rvmTWpq83r
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) February 26, 2026
NBC reported that Aghayeva was detained by the officers with the Department of Homeland Security, who, Columbia University officials said, gained access to her dormitory building using “misrepresentations.”
Mamdani’s meeting with Trump comes after the mayor announced earlier this month that he may have to raise property taxes to fund a budget shortfall of $5.4 billion, which he said he inherited from his predecessor, according to amNY.
Trump and Mamdani had a friendly meeting in the Oval Office in November following the Democratic socialist’s election win.
“We agree on a lot more than I would have thought,” Trump said at the time. “I want him to do a great job, and we’ll help him do a great job.”
“I want New York City to be great. I love New York City. It’s where I came from. I spent a lot of years there,” he noted.
BREAKING: During a meeting at the White House with NYC Mayor-elect Mamdani, Trump says he would feel “comfortable” living in New York under a Mamdani administration.
“We agree on a lot more than I would have thought.”https://t.co/x92KFU6bxG pic.twitter.com/V3O4IG9IWa
— MS NOW (@MSNOWNews) November 21, 2025
Trump mentioned Mamdani in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, calling him “the new communist mayor.”
The president said, “I think he’s a nice guy, actually speak to him a lot. Bad policy, but nice guy.”
New York affiliate WNBC-TV reported in November that some of the proposals Mamdani ran on include “free bus service, universal child care, and his signature issue: a freeze on rent increases for the city’s 1 million rent-regulated apartments.”
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