President Donald Trump met privately with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at the White House on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, in what multiple outlets described as their second in-person Oval Office meeting, with the mayor’s team emphasizing housing development as a central focus.
President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani met Thursday afternoon at the White House, in what The Daily Wire described as the leaders’ second in-person meeting and the latest sign of a working relationship despite deep political differences.
The Daily Wire, citing The New York Times, reported that the discussion was expected to focus on strategies to increase housing supply in New York City—an issue that has emerged as a defining challenge for Mamdani since taking office on Jan. 1, 2026.
According to The Daily Wire, Mamdani traveled to Washington with several top advisers and did not publicly announce the trip in advance, a contrast to his more visible November visit. During that earlier meeting, Trump and Mamdani spoke cordially in front of reporters, and Trump interjected when Mamdani was asked about previously calling him a fascist, quipping: “Just say yes; it’s easier than explaining.”
Trump also mentioned Mamdani during his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, calling him a “nice guy” while adding: “Bad policy.”
The White House meeting came as Mamdani’s administration faces intensifying pressure over housing affordability and the city’s budget outlook. In recent days, Mamdani has publicly floated a 9.5% property-tax increase as part of his preliminary budget framework.
Later Thursday evening, Mamdani was scheduled to begin the first event in his administration’s “Rental Ripoff” hearings series, a set of public forums established by Executive Order 08 to gather tenant testimony about housing conditions and landlord practices. City materials for the program say the testimony is intended to help shape future tenant-protection and enforcement proposals.
