NEW YORK — U.S. President Donald Trump’s trip to New York for a speech at the United Nations started Monday with a detour to Gracie Mansion for an hourlong chat — and a trip down memory lane — with Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The president, appearing with Mamdani after their meeting, reminisced about his previous visits to the official residence of the city’s mayors and recalled “great ones and some not so great ones” who have led the city in the past. “Hopefully you’re going to be a great one,” he said, giving Mamdani a pat on the back. “And you’re off to a start.” The meeting was the latest cordial encounter between the Republican president and a democratic socialist mayor, who have struck up a surprisingly warm relationship despite their lack of political overlap, and have tried to find common ground in helping the city they both love. With scores of world leaders arriving in the city for the United Nations General Assembly, there Trump stood beside Mamdani on the lawn of the custard-yellow mayoral mansion in Manhattan. “I have a lot of meetings right now, very important meetings with heads of different countries, but this is like a little bit of old home week for me,” Trump said, adding “We’ve done so many things from the beautiful home or house or building standing right behind me.” Trump and Mamdani told reporters they discussed a potential housing project in the borough of Queens and how to make New York more affordable for the working class. They have met at least twice previously and have appeared to maintain some level of contact with one another, though the mayor stays tightlipped about any ongoing conversations with the president. The pair of polarizing leaders first gathered in the Oval Office shortly after Mamdani’s election victory last year for a surprisingly cordial confab that centred on ways to help their shared hometown, a detente that came after months of verbal sparring. A few months later in February, Mamdani again took a quick jaunt to Washington to present Trump with a mock New York Daily News front page that said “Trump to City: Let’s Build,” as he pitched new housing investments in the city. As they did after their first Oval Office meeting, Trump and Mamdani acknowledged their political and policy differences while standing side by side. Mamdani was asked about Trump’s decision to bar certain news outlets from the White House, with the mayor saying it was important that those networks, and others, be present for the Gracie Mansion event. Trump then defended his restrictions on the news organizations whose coverage he called biased. “It’s interesting because they said they were gonna boycott me. But they never boycott me,” the U.S. president said, before adding, “I think that these outlets have an obligation to be fair.” Trump’s previous visits to Gracie Mansion included attending the 2003 wedding of former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and a 2007 book party for former Democratic U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel. After Trump left, Mamdani returned to the lawn to answer a few more questions, telling reporters that he and the U.S. president have sharp disagreements but that the relationship has endured nevertheless. “I will continue to have conversations with the president, and frankly, anyone who can deliver relief to the people of this city,” Mamdani said. ___ Associated Press writer Kimberlee Kruesi contributed to this report from Providence, Rhode Island. Anthony Izaguirre, The Associated Press
