US President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani met for about an hour behind closed doors at Gracie Mansion, the mayor's official residence. It was their third meeting and the first on Mamdani's home turf. The visit was also the first by a sitting president to the mansion since Ronald Reagan visited in 1981.
At a joint press conference afterward on the mansion lawn, Trump was generous in his praise. "I've seen it with numerous different mayors, and I said some great ones and some not so great ones," he said. "So hopefully you're gonna be a great one. I'll be able to say you're gonna be a great one, and you're off to a start."
Mamdani returned the compliment. "We appreciate the president's commitment to the city," he said. "And today, the president shared many of his memories of having been to Gracie Mansion before, having been out here as well on the lawn. And we appreciated the conversation of how we can work together to deliver a lower cost of living for New Yorkers."
He said their conversations repeatedly returned to "the same topics: how to improve the lives of New Yorkers" and how to "build a better, stronger New York."
Had a productive meeting with the President today at Gracie Mansion. pic.twitter.com/enpi1K52rR
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) September 21, 2026
Trump had already signaled a friendly tone on his way to the meeting. In a Truth Social post, he wrote: "While in New York City, I'm on the way to one of my favorite places in the World, Gracie Mansion. I spent lots of hours there over the years, with some great Mayors, some average Mayors, and some bad Mayors. It will be interesting to see how it looks now, invited by Mayor Mamdani. Look forward to it. MAKE NEW YORK CITY GREAT AGAIN!"
The main practical focus of the meeting was the proposed development of Sunnyside Yard in Queens. Mamdani wants to build some 12,000 housing units above the rail yard and create thousands of jobs. "One of the focuses of the conversation the president and I have been having is about the possibility of building more housing here in New York City," Mamdani said. "We've spoken about Sunnyside Yard and it's a real pleasure that just today we've agreed to set up a new level of that conversation between our housing and operations team at City Hall and the White House team."
Trump, who knew the area from his years as a real estate developer, appeared receptive to the idea. "Sunnyside's a big job. I've been watching that for 35 years. Everybody's wanted to do something with Sunnyside Yards," he said. "You're gonna need a lot of federal approvals and probably some federal money to do it. But it's always been a great location." No federal funding commitment was announced at the meeting, however.
Mamdani also raised the administration's decision to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitians. "The mayor is very strong on that subject, and he did bring it up," Trump confirmed.
Their differences were also apparent over press access. Mamdani said he had made clear to the president that "all members of the press will be here on the lawn, and that's something that I believe in."
Trump, for his part, defended barring certain news organizations from the White House, arguing that news outlets "have an obligation to be fair."
The warmth between the two men continued a striking shift that began with their first White House meeting in November 2025. After months in which Trump called Mamdani a "communist" while Mamdani described Trump as a "fascist," the meeting ended on an unexpectedly cordial note. "The better he does, the happier I am," Trump said at the time. "We agree on a lot more than I would have thought."
When Mamdani was asked whether he still believed Trump was a fascist, the president interrupted with a smile: "That's OK. You can just say yes. That's easier. It's easier than explaining it."
The two met for a second time in February. Days earlier, Trump had said during his State of the Union address: "The new communist mayor of New York City, I think he's a nice guy, actually. I speak to him a lot. Bad policy, but nice guy." At their meeting, Mamdani presented a request for more than $21 billion in federal funding for the Sunnyside housing plan. He also raised the detention of Columbia University student Elaina Aghayeva. Trump later called him to say she would be released.
The relationship has not prevented clashes. In April, Trump wrote that Mamdani was "DESTROYING New York" and that the city "has no chance," after the mayor backed a plan to impose a tax on luxury second homes owned by nonresidents. Shortly afterward, Trump added that Mamdani was "a nice guy" who called him regularly, while maintaining that his policies were bad. Mamdani responded: "The president and I want this city to succeed. This is how we do it."
Even after their third meeting, there was little suggestion of any ideological reconciliation. Deep disagreements remain over immigration, taxation, the media and foreign policy. But the line of communication opened at their first meeting remains active. As Mamdani said last week, their dialogue takes place face to face and by phone, and will continue as long as both men believe they can deliver results for the city.
