New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani Meets President Trump in Unannounced White House Visit
WASHINGTON — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani made an unannounced visit to the White House on Thursday, holding a private meeting with President Donald Trump in a surprise encounter between two political figures who have sharply criticized each other in recent months.
The meeting did not appear on the president’s public schedule, and no television cameras were permitted inside the Oval Office. Hours later, Mamdani characterized the discussion as “a productive meeting” and said he was “looking forward to building more housing in New York City.”
A photograph released by the mayor showed Trump seated behind the Resolute Desk holding two mock New York Daily News front pages. One was an authentic 1975 edition with the headline “Ford to City: Drop Dead.” The other was a fabricated front page reading “Trump to City: Let’s Build,” crediting the president with supporting what it called a “New Era of Housing.”
In smaller print, the mock headline declared: “Trump Delivers 12,000+ Homes; Most Since 1973.”
City Hall spokeswoman Anna Bahr said Mamdani presented “a couple of pitches that would produce and construct more housing in a handful of projects than has happened in 50 years.” No additional details were immediately released regarding the scope, location, or financing of the proposed developments.
The visit also touched on immigration issues.
After leaving the White House, Mamdani wrote on X that he had raised concerns about Columbia University student Elaina Aghayeva, who had been detained earlier in the day by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“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.
Aghayeva was later released.
She had been taken into custody after federal agents entered a residential building on Columbia University’s Manhattan campus. Columbia officials said immigration authorities “made misrepresentations to gain entry to the building” in order to carry out the arrest.
Acting President Claire Shipman said the university understood that agents sought access under the pretext of searching for a “missing person.” She advised university staff not to allow entry into non-public areas without contacting Public Safety and the Office of the General Counsel.
In a statement to the Columbia Daily Spectator, the Department of Homeland Security said Aghayeva’s visa had been terminated in 2016 for failing to attend classes. “The building manager and her roommate let officers into the apartment. She has no pending appeals or applications with DHS,” the statement said.
The White House did not immediately comment on the meeting between Mamdani and Trump.
The encounter highlights a complex relationship between the two leaders. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, and Trump, a Republican president, have often clashed publicly, particularly over immigration and federal policies affecting large cities. Despite their political differences and heated campaign rhetoric, the two have now met more than once in the Oval Office.
New York City relies heavily on federal funding and remains central to national debates over housing policy and immigration enforcement. Columbia University, one of the country’s most prominent private institutions, has increasingly found itself at the center of disputes involving federal authority and campus access. (Source: IANS)
