New meeting between the mayor of New York and Donald Trump

Zohran Mamdani urged the Republican president to unlock $21 billion in federal grants for the construction of 12.000 social housing units as well as infrastructure (parks, schools and health centers) in a neighborhood in Queens.

The meeting between the two men had not been announced in advance.

"This proposal represents a unique opportunity for a generation to address the housing crisis on the scale it demands," the mayor's office said in a statement released after the meeting.

"If this project comes to fruition, it would represent the largest investment in housing and infrastructure in New York in more than 50 years," the statement emphasized.

"Working families are being driven out of the neighborhoods they built. To rise to this moment, we need a true federal partner willing to invest boldly and act urgently," said Zohran Mamdani, who added that he "appreciated the opportunity to speak directly with President Trump."

Referring to a "productive meeting with President Trump", Mr. Mamdani posted on his X account a photo in the Oval Office where the president, originally from New York, is smiling and holding two front pages of the Daily News: one authentic, the other a parody given for the occasion.

The first front page dates back to 1975 when President Gerald Ford refused to help the then-bankrupt city. The headline across the front page was "Ford to the City: Die!" The fake front page given by Zohran Mamdani to Donald Trump bears the words: "Trump to the City: Let's Build!"

The two sides agreed to continue discussions in the coming weeks, the mayor's office said.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Mamdani first met at the White House last November, shortly after Mr. Mamdani's election as mayor.