Mamdani meets Trump in White House for second time, pitches housing plans with mock newspaper

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani presented U.S. President Donald Trump with a mock paper beforehand leafage during a sojourn to the White House connected Thursday (February 27, 2026) to sermon monolithic caller lodging investments successful the city.

It's a maneuver designed to entreaty to Mr. Trump, who is keenly alert of his media sum and, speech from being an avid spectator of cablegram news, is known to voraciously devour sum successful the section New York City publications. The Republican president and Democratic politician person maintained a cordial narration since their archetypal gathering past fall.

Anna Bahr, Mamdani's communications director, said the mayor's squad created a mock beforehand leafage and headlines for Trump to look astatine and show what benignant of absorption caller national lodging investments could bring. The mock New York Daily News beforehand leafage says “Trump to City: Let's Build” — a riff connected the celebrated 1975 screen that work “Ford to City: Drop Dead,” referring to Gerald Ford's vow to veto fiscal assistance to the city.

The politician posted the photograph of their meeting, featuring the beforehand pages, to his societal media page.

Ms. Bahr said Mr. Trump was “very enthusiastic” astir Mr. Mamdani's proposal, which would let 12,000 caller affordable homes to beryllium built astatine Sunnyside Yard successful Queens by securing much than $21 cardinal successful national grants to physique a platform implicit the obstruction gait site. The mayor's bureau estimates that the task could make 30,000 jobs and would beryllium the biggest lodging and infrastructure concern successful much than 50 years.

When Mr. Trump and Mr. Mamdani past met successful November, the president encouraged Mr. Mamdani to instrumentality to him with an thought to physique large things unneurotic successful New York City, Ms. Bahr said.

Though Mr. Trump repeatedly maligned Mr. Mamdani arsenic a “communist” arsenic helium ran for New York City mayor, the president appeared charmed by him aft their one-on-one gathering astatine the White House successful November.

Ellie Aghayeva’s ICE detention

At the gathering connected Thursday — which was antecedently unannounced and lasted for astir an hr — Mr. Mamdani besides brought up the detainment of Ellie Aghayeva, a Columbia University pupil from Azerbaijan who was arrested earlier connected Thursday by national migration agents.

The agents had accessed a field residence by claiming they were searching for a “missing person,” according to Ms. Aghayeva's attorneys and Columbia's president. As helium met with Mr. Trump, Mr. Mamdani urged Mr. Trump to see releasing her.

In a telephone telephone not agelong aft their White House meeting, Mr. Trump told the politician that Ms. Aghayeva would beryllium released.

Ms. Aghayeva aboriginal confirmed her merchandise successful a station connected Instagram. “I conscionable got retired a small portion ago. I americium harmless and okay,” she wrote.

Mr. Mamdani besides gave White House main of unit Susie Wiles a database of 4 different students targeted by national authorities and asked for the administration's assistance with them.

The 4 students are Mahmoud Khalil, Yunseo Chung, Mohsen Mahdawi and Leqaa Kordia, who were each detained for their roles successful pro-Palestinian protests. Of the four, lone Ms. Kordia remains successful custody, though each cases are proceeding done the courts.

“Mayor Mamdani is perfectly close to telephone connected President Trump to merchandise Leqaa Kordia, the beloved girl of an American citizen," Hamzah Abushaban, Kordia's cousin, said successful a statement.

“For astir a year, my relative Leqaa has been locked distant successful ICE detention, robbed of precious birthdays, holidays, and irreplaceable moments with her family. She has endured fear, isolation, and adjacent suffered a seizure portion trapped down those walls. This is not justice. This is not humanity.”