Mamdani pitches Trump on housing with mock newspaper in latest White House visit

President Trump and NYC Mayor Mamdani Discuss Housing Investments, Detained Students

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday for discussions centered on major housing investments for the nation’s largest city, employing a creative strategy to appeal to the media-conscious president.

During the previously unannounced hour-long meeting, Mamdani presented Trump with a mock newspaper front page designed to showcase potential media coverage that federal housing investments could generate. The fabricated New York Daily News cover boldly proclaimed “Trump to City: Let’s Build” – a strategic reference to the infamous 1975 headline “Ford to City: Drop Dead,” which captured President Gerald Ford’s refusal to provide financial assistance during New York’s fiscal crisis.

The visual tactic appears calibrated to resonate with Trump, who is known for his attentiveness to media coverage, particularly in New York City publications where he built his real estate empire and public persona over decades.

Anna Bahr, Mamdani’s communications director, reported that the president was “very enthusiastic” about the housing proposal, though the mayor’s office declined to provide specific details about the plan. The meeting follows through on Trump’s encouragement during their November encounter for Mamdani to return with ambitious ideas for joint projects in New York City.

The relationship between the Republican president and Democratic mayor has evolved considerably since the campaign trail, when Trump frequently labeled Mamdani a “communist” during the mayoral race. Following their initial White House meeting last November, Trump appeared to warm to the new mayor, establishing what sources describe as a cordial working relationship despite their political differences.

Beyond housing initiatives, the meeting took an unexpected turn when Mamdani raised concerns about recently detained students. Most prominently, he advocated for Ellie Aghayeva, a Columbia University student from Azerbaijan who had been arrested earlier that same day by federal immigration agents. According to Aghayeva’s attorneys and Columbia University President Minouche Shafik, the agents gained access to a campus residence by claiming they were searching for a “missing person.”

The mayor’s intervention appears to have yielded immediate results. Shortly after their White House meeting, Trump called Mamdani to inform him that Aghayeva would be released from custody.

Mamdani didn’t stop there. He provided White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles with a list of four additional students detained for their participation in pro-Palestinian protests: Mahmoud Khalil, Yunseo Chung, Mohsen Mahdawi, and Leqaa Kordia. According to sources familiar with the cases, three of these students have since been released, while Kordia remains in custody. All cases continue to proceed through the court system.

The meeting highlights the complex dynamics between federal and local authorities regarding immigration enforcement and campus protests, which have intensified at universities nationwide in recent months.

This developing relationship between Trump and Mamdani represents an unusual political alliance that crosses party lines, potentially opening channels for federal investment in New York’s housing infrastructure at a time when the city faces significant housing shortages and affordability challenges.

Housing experts note that any major federal investment would be significant for New York City, where limited supply and high demand have created one of the nation’s most expensive housing markets. The city has struggled with homelessness and housing accessibility for decades, issues that Mamdani campaigned on addressing during his mayoral run.

The mayor shared a photo of their meeting, featuring the mock newspaper front pages, on his social media accounts, signaling his willingness to work with the Trump administration despite potential criticism from his progressive base.