Μake us preferred on Google President Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani , singular figures in their opposing political parties, continued their surprising rapport Monday, meeting for an hour at the mayor’s official residence ahead of an important week for each man’s agenda.
The visit at Gracie Mansion marked the third sit-down between Trump and Mamdani, who have developed a cordial in-person give and take. Their conversation centered on the New York Police Department, building housing in the city and immigration. “I want him to be a great mayor,” Trump said on the mansion lawn . “He’s certainly got great potential.”
US President Donald Trump, riding in “The Beast”, departs Gracie Mansion after a meeting with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani in New York, US, September, 21, 2026. REUTERS/Bing Guan
Mamdani said he invited Trump, who is in town for the United Nations General Assembly, after the president had expressed in previous meetings that he had fond memories of visiting Gracie Mansion .
The two shared a private conversation on the lawn before taking questions together from reporters. They shook hands before the president departed.
Despite the friendly vibes, Mamdani didn’t shy away from a key issue of disagreement: immigration enforcement. Nevertheless, he said he was happy to speak to Trump even when they weren’t on the same page.
“The president and I have both been very frank about the many disagreements that we have and immigration is one of those places,” Mamdani said. “We’ve both spoken about very different approaches, very different beliefs.”
Trump traveled to New York to address global leaders as wars on two continents continue to push energy prices higher at home, handing Democrats an opening to attack Republicans on affordability ahead of the midterms.
Mamdani, a Democratic socialist who has been a fierce critic of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, toned down his rhetoric in the run-up to the General Assembly, where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to speak Thursday. The mayor previously called for Netanyahu to be arrested for alleged war crimes in Gaza, but has avoided commenting directly on Israel in recent weeks and said he wouldn’t participate in planned protests around Netanyahu’s visit.
Jewish leaders said over the summer that Mamdani’s anti-Israel rhetoric made members of their community less safe in their own city amid a rise in antisemitic hate crimes. Mamdani has said he is mayor for all New Yorkers, including Jewish residents, and that his administration is working to root out antisemitism.
Secret Service agents polish the armoured limousine known as “The Beast”, during a meeting between US President Donald Trump and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, outside Gracie Mansion in the Upper East Side neighbourhood of New York, US, September 21, 2026. REUTERS/Bing Guan
Mamdani and Trump have taken shots at one another at times, but their two previous meetings have been affable. The two have said they occasionally speak by phone. Mamdani visited Trump in the White House weeks after winning office last November. At the time, a beaming Trump praised the newly elected mayor and predicted he would do a “very good job.”
The pair met again in February in Washington, where the mayor pitched the president on a sweeping federally backed housing project in Trump’s home borough of Queens. As part of a charm offensive, he presented the president with a mocked-up newspaper front page with the headline said, “Trump to City: Let’s Build.” During the visit, Mamdani also secured the release of a Columbia University student detained by federal immigration officials.
When not played out in front of the cameras, the relationship isn’t always so chipper.
The Republican president has used the mayor as a foil to gin up fears about rising socialism ahead of the midterms. He continues to call him a “communist” and, on social media, accused the mayor of “destroying New York.” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) has raised a similar alarm, describing Democratic candidates ahead of the midterms as “little mini-Mamdanis.”
Differences on immigration, the Iran War and Israel have also strained the relationship.
Last week, Mamdani announced he was leading a coalition of cities in suing the Trump administration over a new federal rule that he said unfairly targets immigrants who receive public benefits. A White House spokeswoman said the lawsuit was brought by extreme Democrats fighting for immigrants at the expense of American citizens.
At Monday’s press conference, Trump recalled his November meeting with Mamdani, saying the then-newly elected mayor was hesitant about moving into Gracie Mansion.
“I said, ‘Well, are you gonna move?’ Because you were maybe having some doubts about moving in, because it is a little bit on the luxurious side,” Trump recalled. “And I said, ‘When you’re the mayor, you have to live there.’”
Write to James Fanelli at james.fanelli@wsj.com and Philip Wegmann at philip.wegmann@wsj.com
