President Donald Trump and Mayor Zohran Mamdani met at Gracie Mansion on Monday ahead of the United Nations General Assembly, discussing affordable housing and infrastructure projects in Queens. The high-profile gathering marked their third face-to-face meeting since February.
President Donald Trump arrived at Gracie Mansion just before 4 p.m. on Monday to hold discussions with Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The visit occurred right before the president’s scheduled address at the United Nations General Assembly, bringing heightened security measures and global attention to Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The meeting was tucked away in a serene corner of Manhattan’s Upper East Side made even quieter by a Secret Service-orchestrated security perimeter, with police boats passing by on the East River.
The meeting marked the third in-person encounter between the two leaders. Their relationship began following Mamdani’s election victory with an initial Oval Office meeting in February, preceded by a high-stakes discussion in November 2025. Zohran Mamdani and Donald Trump walked side by side out of Gracie Mansion on Monday afternoon, pausing every so often to look one another in the eye during a display of rapport that has confounded expectations ever since the president smiled and touched his hand to the mayor’s arm in the Oval Office in November.
Infrastructure Priorities and the Sunnyside Yard Project
During a joint press conference held immediately after their closed-door talks, Mayor Mamdani highlighted the central policy focus of their ongoing dialogue. The leaders concentrated on infrastructure expansion and economic pressures facing residents. Trump’s chief of staff Susie Wiles and communications adviser Margo Martin paced the porch behind the two men, while Mamdani noted that the meeting included Wiles and his chief of staff Elle Bisgaard-Church.
According to ABC7 New York, Mamdani pointed to the Sunnyside Yard project, an 180-acre train yard situated in Queens. The proposed development could house thousands of apartments but would require at least $21 billion in federal grants to move forward. The project is among the infrastructure projects that Mamdani and Trump previously discussed during their first two meetings.
Each time the president and I speak, it is about the same topics,
Mamdani said. How to improve the lives of New Yorkers, and how to use the power of government to take on the cost of living crisis, to grow our economy, and to build a better, stronger New York.
Gracie Mansion Architecture and Presidential Impressions
While the formal agenda prioritized housing, the historic setting itself quickly captured the president’s attention.
Well, thank you very much, Mr. Mayor,
Trump said as he began his own remarks with a reflection about the grandeur of Mamdani’s residence. It’s a special place, a beautiful place when you go inside.
The president and the mayor continued in their unlikely rapport as Trump added, It was very nice inside, beautifully kept, and it’s a very, very representative place of New York.
Mamdani told reporters, I invited the president to come to Gracie Mansion, and he had also remarked to me in prior conversations about how many memories he has of this as a home for prior mayors.
Trump has been to Gracie Mansion at least twice before. In 2003, Trump attended former Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s wedding at Gracie Mansion, and in 2007, Trump attended a book party for Rep. Charles Rangel, with both events hosted by then-Mayor Bloomberg. During Monday’s tour, Mamdani drew the president’s attention to specific historical artifacts inside the home, pointing out, There’s a cannonball from the Revolutionary War,
and adding, There’s a fireplace from the residence where Aaron Burr died after his duel with Alexander Hamilton.
Mamdani later shared a photo of Monday’s meeting, calling it a productive meeting with the President today at Gracie Mansion.
Press Restrictions and Wider Political Context
The two leaders were also asked about the president’s recent ban on certain news organizations from the White House. Trump defended his decision to bar certain members of the press, stating that he is only doing it because the press has an obligation to be fair
as reported by ABC7 New York. As for New York City and its current mayor, Trump said Mamdani has a chance to be a “great mayor,” and that he wants what’s best for New York.
The gathering took place alongside a dense schedule of international diplomacy as New York City hosts a busy week of international events surrounding the U.N. General Assembly, with representatives from countries around the world gathering in the city to prompt heightened security measures and draw global attention. Over the weekend, Mamdani welcomed mayors from around the world for the Urban 20 Summit. The mayor also took attendees on a double-decker sightseeing bus tour, with attendees including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and mayors from Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia.
Meanwhile, Gov. Kathy Hochul said she had no plans to meet with Trump this week, despite remaining in contact with the president. I talk to him about a lot of things. I don't worry about a lack of communication for us. It doesn't come down to one meeting on a particular day,
Hochul said. Trump’s New York itinerary is also expected to include a meeting with the president of France and attendance at a Republican National Committee reception fundraiser carrying a price tag of $150,000 per couple to attend.
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