President Donald Trump met New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at the White House on Thursday in a previously unscheduled visit, Fox News has confirmed.
According to the New York Post, the two leaders were expected to focus primarily on housing issues affecting New York City. Politico reported that immigration would also be on the agenda — a topic that has defined much of President Trump’s second term and remains a flashpoint between federal and local officials in Democrat-led cities.
A Surprising but Cordial Relationship
Thursday’s visit was not first meeting between Trump and Mamdani. The mayor previously visited the White House in November 2025, shortly after winning the New York City mayoral election. That meeting surprised observers across the political spectrum, as the two men struck a notably cordial tone despite Mamdani’s past criticism of the president.
At the time, Trump emphasized shared priorities over political differences.
“We have one thing in common,” Trump said at the time. “We want this city of ours that we love to do very well. And I wanted to congratulate the mayor. He really ran an incredible race against, you know, a lot of smart people, starting with the early primaries against some very tough people, very smart people. And he beat them, and he beat them easily.
“I congratulated him, and we talked about some things in very strong common, like housing and getting housing built and food and prices.”
Trump’s remarks underscored his longstanding focus on economic issues — particularly affordability and urban revitalization — themes that have been central to his administration’s domestic policy agenda.
Housing Crisis Front and Center
New York City continues to face a severe housing shortage, rising rents, and pressure on public housing systems. The Trump administration has repeatedly argued that restrictive local policies, burdensome regulations, and unchecked migration into sanctuary cities have compounded the problem.
Thursday’s meeting presents an opportunity for Trump to press for reforms aligned with his administration’s priorities: incentivizing private-sector development, cutting red tape, and tying federal support to stricter immigration enforcement cooperation.
Immigration Tensions Loom
Immigration is also expected to be a major topic of discussion. Under President Trump’s second term, border enforcement and interior immigration operations have intensified. Meanwhile, New York City — like several other major metropolitan areas — has grappled with the financial and logistical strain of accommodating large numbers of migrants.
A Surprise Trip to Washington
Mamdani’s visit to Washington came with little public notice. He had no public events listed on his Thursday schedule, and his office confirmed the White House meeting only after he had already departed New York for the nation’s capital.
The low-profile nature of the trip has sparked speculation about the urgency of the talks, particularly as New York City faces mounting budget pressures tied to housing and migrant services.
Mayor Mamdani (D) announced on social media on Thursday that President Trump agreed to release a Columbia student from ICE custody at his request.
“Just got off the phone with President Trump. In our meeting earlier, I shared my concerns about Columbia student Elaina Aghayeva, who was detained by ICE this morning. He has just informed me that she will be released imminently,” Mamdani wrote on X.
Mamdani shared in his post a New York Times article detailing the arrest of Aghayeva, which was titled, “ICE Agents Arrest Student Inside Columbia Building, School Says.”
“ICE arrested Elmina Aghayeva, an illegal alien from Azerbaijan, whose student visa was terminated in 2016 under the Obama administration for failing to attend classes,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement about the Monday morning incident. “The building manager and her roommate let officers into the apartment. She has no pending appeals or applications with D.H.S.” Aghayeva married a U.S. citizen in 2020, but her immigration status did not appear to have changed, according to early reports. Whether or not DHS will move to deport her also remained unclear.
