President Donald Trump on Monday renewed his affable overtures toward New York City’s first socialist mayor, expressing hope that Zohran Mamdani would be a “great” leader.
Trump, a New York City native, met with Mamdani in a closed-door meeting at Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s personal residence, this week. In a press conference afterward, the pair exchanged cordial words, reiterating the surprising relationship they have established in their third face-to-face meeting since Mamdani rose to power in the country’s largest city last year.
Mamdani shared a photo of Monday’s encounter, describing it as a “productive meeting with the President today at Gracie Mansion,” in a post to X. In his appearance alongside the mayor, Trump said Mamdani has “great potential.”
“I’ve seen it [Gracie Mansion] with numerous different mayors,” the president reflected. “Some great ones and some not so great ones. So hopefully, you’re going to be a great one. I’ll be able to say you’re going to be a great one, and you’re off to a start.”
“You have to understand. I want what’s good for New York. I want what’s good for the country. So, if I had a choice of having him be a bad mayor or horrible mayor, I don’t want that,” Trump continued. “I want him to be a great mayor, and he’s certainly got potential, got great potential.”
Trump’s encounter with Mamdani marked the start of a busy week for the president in New York, including a Tuesday speech at the U.N. General Assembly.
During the Gracie Mansion press conference, Trump was pressed on his decision to ban CNN, Politico, and MS NOW from the White House, which has sparked a legal battle on the grounds that First Amendment rights to a free press are being violated. The president said he made the move because of his belief that the media does not treat him fairly, arguing, “The press also has an obligation.”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks to media after his meeting with President Donald Trump, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks to media after his meeting with President Donald Trump, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
“You know, I won in a landslide. I won the election in a landslide. I’ve done great things. I’ve done a lot of great things. I’ve settled eight wars. We have the best economic numbers for the country in the history of our country. We have $21 trillion pouring in — the biggest number ever,” the president claimed. “The [Iran] war. We’ve done so well. … They’re not going to have a nuclear weapon. Let me just put it that way: They’re not doing well. … In fact, I have meetings on it today. They’re doing very poorly.”
“You would think that an outlet would write at least reasonably well, but never,” Trump lamented. “I never get anything positive. It’s always negative.”
TRUMP BANS CNN, MS NOW, AND POLITICO FROM WHITE HOUSE
Regarding Mamdani, Trump has pivoted between decrying the socialist mayor as someone who is “DESTROYING New York” and offering olive branches to New York City’s leader.
“The new communist mayor of New York City, I think he’s a nice guy, actually,” Trump said in his State of the Union address in February. “I speak to him a lot. Bad policy, but nice guy.”
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
