The Mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, during a surprise meeting with President Donald Trump on Thursday, took an unconventional approach to discuss potential housing investments in the city.
During a meeting at the White House, Mamdani presented a mock newspaper front page, seeking to tap into Trump’s well-known interest in media coverage.
The headline, “Trump to City: Let’s Build”, was a clever twist on a famous 1975 tabloid cover that read “Ford to City: Drop Dead,” referring to Gerald Ford‘s pledge to block federal financial aid to the city.
Mamdani posted the update about the “productive meeting” on X, saying “I’m looking forward to building more housing in New York City.
Mamdani’s plan calls for building 12,000 affordable housing units at Sunnyside Yard in Queens, backed by more than $21 billion in federal funding. City officials say the initiative could create 30,000 jobs, making it the largest housing and infrastructure investment in more than 50 years.
The Mayor called for enhanced financing tools to boost affordable housing, protect public housing, and streamline regulations to speed up construction without compromising labor standards or community input.
Both sides agreed to continue talks in the coming weeks.
Anna Bahr, Mamdani’s communications director, told AP News that Trump was “very enthusiastic” about the Mayor’s proposal.
During the meeting, Mamdani also reportedly addressed the issue of Ellie Aghayeva, a Columbia University student detained by federal immigration agents. Trump assured Mamdani of Aghayeva’s release following the meeting.
Oval Office Talks After War Of Words
The meeting between Mamdani and Trump comes after a previous encounter in November, where Trump praised Mamdani for his election victory and expressed optimism for his tenure as mayor. At the meeting, Trump urged the Mayor to come back with proposals to collaborate on major development projects in NYC, Bahr told AP News.
Before their first Oval office meeting, Trump had repeatedly called Mamdani a “communist” while the latter had called the president a “fascist.” Both have maintained cordial relations post the first meeting.
Mamdani’s proposal for housing investments is a significant move in addressing New York City’s affordability crisis. This comes after the mayor, last week, proposed a 9.5% property tax hike and a draw from the city’s rainy day reserves as a last resort to plug the city’s $5.4 billion budget gap.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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