New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, February 26th, during an unannounced trip to Washington, presenting a proposal to build 12,000 new housing units in the city.
In a post on X after the closed-door meeting, Mamdani described the discussion as “productive” and wrote, “I’m looking forward to building more housing in New York City.” His office later explained that the mayor outlined a plan that could represent one of the largest federal housing investments in decades. The proposal includes development at Sunnyside Yard in Queens, with roughly 6,000 Mitchell-Lama-style units and new public parks. City Hall estimates the project would require approximately $21 billion in federal funding. No timeline has been released.
According to Mamdani’s Chief Spokesperson, Joe Calvello, the president “appeared enthusiastic” about the concept. The White House did not respond to requests for comment, and neither leader listed the meeting on their public schedules.
Mamdani also shared an image from the Oval Office showing Trump holding two New York Daily News front pages: the well-known 1975 “FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD” headline and a mocked-up cover reading, “TRUMP TO CITY: LET’S BUILD,” with the line “Trump Delivers 12,000+ Homes; Most Since 1973.” A spokesperson confirmed the mayor’s team created the altered front page.
The meeting marked the pair’s second in-person sit-down since Mamdani’s election victory in November. During his recent State of the Union address, Trump referred to Mamdani as “The new communist mayor of New York City,” adding, “I think he’s a nice guy, actually,” and noting, “Bad policy, but nice guy.”
Mamdani also raised the detention of Columbia University student Elmina Aghayeva. He later stated, “He has just informed me that she will be released imminently,” after speaking with the president by phone.
