President Donald Trump, in New York for the UN General Assembly, will meet New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at 4 p.m. on Sept. 21 at Gracie Mansion, the mayor's official residence. It will be the third time the two have sat down together, following White House meetings last November and this February, and the first time they have met in New York. The mayor's office said they will discuss "issues affecting New York City and New Yorkers." Trump is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on the 22nd.
President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani will meet at 4 p.m. on Sept. 21 at Gracie Mansion, the mayor's official residence on Manhattan's Upper East Side. The meeting was scheduled around Trump's attendance at the UN General Assembly, and both the White House and the mayor's office confirmed it on the 20th. Anna Bahr, communications director for the mayor's office, said, "They will discuss issues affecting New York City and New Yorkers." The White House did not disclose any details beyond confirming the meeting.
This will be the third meeting between the two. Trump, who called Mamdani a "100% communist" during last year's campaign, met him for the first time in the Oval Office in November, right after the election, and afterward described him as "someone who will surprise conservatives." At their second White House meeting this February, Mamdani drew attention by presenting a mock newspaper, "Trump to City: Let's Build," a parody of the famous front page from the 1975 fiscal crisis. This will be their first meeting in New York, and at the mayor's residence no less.
Specific agenda items have not been disclosed, but federal budget support, housing supply, public safety and immigration enforcement are likely to be on the table. Mamdani, who calls himself a democratic socialist, took office on cost-of-living pledges such as a rent freeze and free buses. In his first Mayor's Management Report, released on the 17th, he highlighted a 20% drop in murders, a 16% drop in shootings and results on completed affordable housing. The city's relationship with the Trump administration is directly tied to how much federal funding New York City secures.
In his UN General Assembly speech on the 22nd, Trump is expected to address the U.S.-Iran conflict and the risks of artificial intelligence, among other topics, and during his stay in New York he will also meet Venezuela's interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez. He will also attend a Republican National Committee (RNC) fundraiser at $150,000 per couple. Matt McCool, special agent in charge of the Secret Service's New York field office, said about 200 heads of state and government, along with their spouses, will attend this year's General Assembly, and that security planning began six months ago.
Security restrictions are expected around East End Avenue and 88th Street near Gracie Mansion on the afternoon of the 21st, when the meeting takes place. A "gridlock alert" is in effect for Midtown Manhattan throughout UN General Assembly week, so Koreans traveling to and from the East Side are advised to take the subway.