New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and President Donald Trump met at the White House in February to discuss a housing proposal and immigration issues. The meeting, which remained unannounced until the mayor arrived in Washington, D.C., involved a request from federal officials to keep the schedule private for as long as possible. A third meeting between the two leaders was scheduled to take place on Monday, Sept. 21, at Gracie Mansion in Manhattan.
The relationship between the Republican president and the democratic socialist mayor follows a campaign in which Mamdani pledged to oppose Trump and Trump suggested he might arrest or deport Mamdani. Despite this history, the pair held a cordial first meeting in November 2025. In their subsequent February session, Mamdani proposed a $21 billion federal investment to develop Sunnyside Yard, a rail depot in Queens, into a new neighborhood with 12,000 affordable apartments.
During the February White House visit, Mamdani also requested that the president drop deportation cases against five current and former students in New York City. Shortly after the meeting, Trump informed the mayor that one individual detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would be released. The president also met that same day with retired detective Bo Dietl, who has criticized the mayor and said his talk with the president turned to immigration issues.
The proposal seeks $21 billion in federal grants for the project. If approved, the mayor's office said it would build more housing in a single project than the city has seen since 1973. Residents in the Queens neighborhoods surrounding Sunnyside Yard would see the construction of 12,000 new apartments, along with new parks, hospitals, and child care centers, transformed from what is currently a rail depot.
The cooperation between the two leaders marks a shift in how the city interacts with the federal government. While Mamdani’s allies, such as Councilmember Julie Won, have expressed concern over a lack of community transparency, the mayor stated that the collaboration is necessary to advance the interests of working New Yorkers.
A third meeting was scheduled for Monday, Sept. 21, at 4 p.m. at the mayor's official residence, Gracie Mansion. This was set to be their first official meeting within New York City. The White House and city officials confirmed the discussion would focus on issues affecting New York City, though the meeting was closed to the press. Future developments depend on whether the federal government commits the requested $21 billion to the Sunnyside Yard project, which has been stalled since 2020 due to costs and local opposition.